Select Image To Visit The Photo Gallery: Celebration By Dick Joynt

Photographed By William Murphy

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LOCATED IN DUN LAOGHAIRE

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I first photographed it, at Eden Park, twelve years ago but until today I did not realise that this sculpture was by the father of Rachel Joynt who's sculpture "Archer II" is located nearby at Newtownsmith.

A few years ago a person who did not provide their name contacted me claiming that someone with the surname could not be considered to be Irish. The Irish surname Joynt is originally a Huguenot name, from the Old French word "joint" meaning "united," or "joined. The surname Joynt was first found in counties Limerick and Mayo.

A central theme of Joynt's work is the celebration of family and humanity. In this sculpture the mother, with unrelenting strength, holds aloft the curled child. The simple curved forms and the balanced bulk of the figures gives the work a monumental, timeless and universal quality that is fitting for this residential location.

Today I used what is supposed to be my best lens [Sony FE 85MM GM] but I was not happy with the resulting images.

The artist Dick Joynt, who has died aged 64, was renowned for his work in stone. One of his best-known sculptures is The Ram, located just off the Dublin-Wexford road near Bray, Co. Wicklow. Weighing over 30 tons, it is nine feet in height and 13 feet in length, and is one of the largest works of its kind in Ireland.

Celebration at Eden Park, Glasthule: Located very near to Rachel Joynt's Mothership, this Kilkenny limestone sculpture depicts a mother holding a child aloft—a powerful expression of vitality and the "celebration of life."

Earthmother (Dublin Airport): A powerful reclining figure carved from limestone.

The Ram (Bray): A massive, stylised limestone ram that has become a local icon in County Wicklow.

Michael Collins (Merrion Square): The bronze bust of the revolutionary leader located in the quiet parkland of Dublin’s Georgian core.

The Victors (Tallaght): A significant limestone monument commissioned for the Dublin Millennium.