Kickstarter campaign to create a Maud Gonne statue in Dublin

A Kickstarter campaign is set to launch, aiming to honour the legacy of Maud Gonne, an Irish republican revolutionary, suffragette and actress, with a public statue.

This campaign follows a recent gathering of readers, writers, artists, and historians and promises to commemorate Gonne’s contributions through the creation of a significant public artwork.

Spearheaded by Irish novelist and poet Orna Ross, founder of the Alliance of Independent Authors, this campaign is bolstered by a dedicated and expanding “uncommittee” of supporters from various creative and scholarly fields.

The campaign also enjoys the backing of Gonne’s descendants.

Maud Gonne, famously known as the muse of poet WB Yeats, inspired many other people and was more than a muse.

A revolutionary activist, she championed Irish independence, women’s rights, and the rights of prisoners and workers.

A controversial figure, her impact on Irish culture and society is undeniable, and was extended into the arena of international human rights through her influence on her son Seán, co-founder of Amnesty International.

The statue campaign seeks to celebrate Gonne’s legacy, advocate for the recognition of women’s achievements in public spaces, and create debate about missing history and the curation of memory.

Dublin’s Representational Imbalance

Currently, Dublin’s public statues predominantly honour men, with only five statues in the whole city representing historical women. Additionally:

Only 27 of the 936 streets in the city centre are named after women, mostly saints and English queens.

All three primary train stations, Heuston, Connolly, and Pearse, are named after men

No park in Dublin bears the name of a woman.

Maud Gonne is not the only important woman who has been overlooked but she is a glaring absence.

“Erecting a statue of Maud Gonne in Dublin will serve as a reminder of this great woman and her enduring legacy,” says Orna Ross, “and the campaign will underscore the crucial roles women have played in shaping the city’s heritage.

“Equally, it will encourage critical thinking about the politics of remembrance and commemoration, as begun during Ireland’s Decade of Centenaries by grassroots movements like Waking the Feminists.”

Social media accounts @MaudGonneMacBride in which Maud Gonne “speaks” about Irish and international political questions have also been set up, as part of the educational dimension of the campaign.

Kickstarter Campaign Launch

The campaign will officially launch on Kickstarter on July 22nd 2024, inviting the public to contribute through receiving rewards at varying levels, including commissioned original artwork and prints from esteemed artist Emma Stroude, events at the Yeats Summer School 2025 in Sligo Ireland; a Kickstarter-exclusive edition of Orna Ross’s upcoming novel A Life Before; and more.

A Life Before is the first book in Orna Ross’s highly anticipated Gonne-Yeats series but also a standalone novel in its own right: a coming-of-age story about Maud Gonne and WB Yeats.

Through the device of intersecting the narrator’s personal and political family history with that of the revolutionary activist and renowned poet, the novel blends history and sorcery, folklore and fiction to offer a fresh perspective on their life and times, while exploring struggles between privilege and poverty, convention and creativity.

Emma Stroude, already renowned for portraits of Maud Gonne that concentrate on themes of courage, determination and fearlessness, has created an artist’s impression of a possible Maud Gonne statue for use during the fundraising and set-up phase.

“This is not the blueprint for the finished work but an image to inspire and help raise funds for the campaign,” says Stroud.

She has produced two original drawings, and a limited number of signed prints, depicting an older Maud Gonne, clad in her trademark black outfit and veil, with her beloved dog Dagda walking alongside.

“Our ideal would be to have the finalised statue marching down the pedestrian aisle of O’Connell towards the south side, where she lived,” says Orna Ross.

“This is the direction that all the protest marches take and it would be wonderful to have our ‘Maud’ walking in solidarity with other activists about the causes they care about, making that all-important link between past and present. Many of the issues Maud Gonne fought for have yet to be resolved.”

For more on the Kickstarter campaign please click the following link: https://ornaross.com/MoreThanAMuse

All profits from the Kickstarter will directly fund the establishment and implementation of the statue campaign.