The Ever-Living Ones stolen from the Irish landscape.

Image © Neil Meroney

The sad news of the theft of one of the most powerful depictions of the sea god Manannán Mac Lír
was reported this week.
There has been much speculation in the media about whether the thieves who stole the sculpture
of the pagan god were of the Christian belief because of a wooden cross and copy of the first commandment left
in its' place.
I don't know the religion (if any) of those involved but I do know that a beautiful, much loved work
of art, which embodied Ireland's rich mythology and folklore, has now gone and that many in
the local community feels its' loss.

© JD Sutton

'Manannán Commands The Sea' was created by the artist John Darren Sutton and the figure stood
on Binevenagh Mountain, Co. Derry overlooking Lough Foyle.
I had not visited the statue and now will not have the opportunity to do so and neither will you.

If you are on Facebook you may want to visit and 'like' the page -
Bring Back Manannan Mac Lir the Sea God where you will find many peoples' photographs and memories of their visits to view him.

To read about the folklore of Manannán in my previous post, please click HERE

Unfortunately Manannán Mac Lír is not the only statue of an Irish deity to be stolen from the landscape.

Image: Google Maps

In 2011 a depiction of the goddess Danú by Sandra Bell was taken from the roadside near
Rathmore, Co. Kerry.
She was placed here because of the proximity to the sacred mountains, The Paps of Anu, seen in the background
of the photo above.

Image: © M. Counihan

It is most likely that the goddess Danú was stolen because she was made from bronze and therefore
worth a considerable amount of money. The sculpture of the sea god was not stolen for its' bronze content as he was created using fibreglass and stainless steel.

Whatever the motives of those who took him, many of us here in Ireland believe that the thieves
shall have no luck at all in their lives from now on.