A friend’s coworker was traveling near Waterford, Ireland, when he came upon this statue. They were either on their way to Waterford, or just leaving it, and got lost when they crossed a bridge over a river. They turned down a wrong road, and found themselves near a pool of water. The statue, which looks fairly recent, was there with no plaque, markings, or identification. My friend’s wife thought it might be the Celtic goddess Boann, but that’s just a guess. Can anyone identify this statue, and its location? Who erected it, and what is its significance?
How big a pool? Natural or man-made? A pond or a basin?
The rocks are odd for the area. Was it hilly where they were or flat?
Did the road end at the pool, or was it by the road side?
Were they still fairly near the river?
I don’t know (and I’ve done a number of unsuccessful Google searches using the names of Irish bronze artists) but I would like to know.
I know you’ve probably given all the detail you got from your friend, but any more detail that could help us to pin down the location would be very helpful. For example, what was their intended destination on that day? Any chance of any other photos taken in the vicinity that might contain a clue?
When they say they had recently crossed a river, do they remember if it was a very big wide river hundreds of metres across, near the city? And if so whether they were travelling TO or FROM the city?
I was sure it would turn out to be a statue of The Lady of the Lake at The Lady’s Island, but no joy.
Yep, that’s all the information I have – and my friend has. I asked him TruCelt’s questions, and he didn’t know. My friend’s coworker didn’t remember if they were going to the city or just leaving it.
Boann is the goddess associated with the River Boyne (she create it, if I recall correctly) and there’s no reason why a statue of her would be erected anywhere in Waterford; the Boyne is elsewhere.
The principal river in Waterford is the Suir, but of course we have no reason to suppose that is the river your friends were crossing when they saw the statue. In any event, if the statue was intended to represent a particular historical or mythological figure, you’d expect a plaque saying so.
Whatever it is, it is beautiful.
Did a bit of a GIS and Google search myself and came up dry.
Thanks to Guramoogah on boards.ie, the location of the statue is the car park of Rivergate Apartments in New Ross, county Wexford, just 25km from Waterford city, on the River Barrow. GPS 52.400439,-6.940782.
WAG: Ireland has some association the Catholics… the church in the area ?
WAG: St Mary, because the rocks are crying, so her hands are upright… to catch the water.
WAG: similar to St Mary becoming the “Lady of the Lake” at Lady’s Island.
Note the last picture is of a similar statue - hands forward though.
Fun trivia fact… it appears the statue, and apartment complex, is located on the site of Cherry’s Brewery, Claywell, New Ross, which is linked to a certain Patrick Kennedy.
Good work! 
Friend compared his coworker’s photograph with what he found at the GPS coordinates (I was unable to at work today), and that is indeed the statue.
Any information on it?
Without reading the thread I estimate it to be less than 35 years old.