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Sculptor claims public commission withdrawn over her support for Yes vote

A sculptor from Co Leitrim has claimed she lost a public commission due to her support of a Yes v...
Newstalk
Newstalk

16.23 20 May 2015


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Sculptor claims public commiss...

Sculptor claims public commission withdrawn over her support for Yes vote

Newstalk
Newstalk

16.23 20 May 2015


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A sculptor from Co Leitrim has claimed she lost a public commission due to her support of a Yes vote in the same-sex marriage referendum.

Ms McKenna ">told Ocean Fm on Wednesday that she had been “verbally asked would I take on board a public commission” for a sculpture in Sligo commemorating the 100 year anniversary of 1916.

However Ms McKenna – who has produced sculptures that can be seen in towns across Ireland - says that the offer has been withdrawn following her negative reaction to a text message asking her to support a No vote.

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“The person who I had been dealing with, I had spoken to her a few times,” Ms McKenna said. “But last week I got a text asking me to listen in to Midwest Radio to a programme - somebody was advocating a No vote - and would I please listen into it and please vote no.”

The text appeared to be a generic text message, sent to a large number of people, Ms McKenna said. It asked the recipients to vote no and pass on the message about the person advocating a no vote on-air at that time.

“I would not be sending texts to anybody to vote anything. I don’t know the person, I would speak to a person and chat face to face, but not send a text advocating something that to me was discriminatory,” she said.

She responded with an initial text saying she would be voting yes in the referendum and then followed that with another saying the sculpture she was verbally contracted to do was of a woman, “who themselves had fought in 1916, and even up to the late 30s and early 40s for an equal Ireland where all the children would be cherished equally.”

“I also said the woman had a cheek to send that to me,” Ms McKenna added.

Ms McKenna’s second text was then replied to “by a text from the woman saying ‘sculpture cancelled’”, she claims.

“Basically, I lose commission,” Ms McKenna said. “I lose my livelihood, because I objected to getting this text on my phone.”

Ms McKenna said she feels certain she will lose the commission, “unless I go back to her and say, ‘oh I’m sorry’, which I’m not going to do.”

“That she felt that she had the right to do this to me, it’s not on,” Ms McKenna said.

“It’s underhanded to me ... it’s bigoted. And I don’t know where this bigotry has come from,” she added.


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