Father Mathew - O'Connell Street, Dublin, Ireland
N 53° 21.059 W 006° 15.646
29U E 682316 N 5914813
This larger-than-life statue of Father Mathew is located in the centre of O'Connell Street in Dublin.
Waymark Code: WMQWAP
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Date Posted: 04/05/2016
Views: 9
The statue of Father Mathew is carved from stoneby Mary Redmond. It shows father Mathew dressed in the robes of a friar and bare-headed. His right arm is raided in the air and his left arm is pointing forward with the palm of his hand down.
The Archiseek website tells us:
Fr Theobald Mathew (1790-1856) was a Cork-born Capuchin Friar who led a great temperance movement from 1839-1856. His anti-drink campaign is considered to have been a great social revolution that saw the establishment of Temperance Societies in every parish in the country. At its peak between 1838-1845, it was estimated that there were 3-4 million abstaining from drink in Ireland. This high number was aided by the fact that Fr Mathew appealed to every class and rank in society. In 1843, Fr Mathew went to England and Scotland where he had further success, and later spent over two years in the US where he gave the pledge in over 300 towns.