Carissa Farrell explores the civic values inherent in Rachel Joynt’s soon-to-be-unveiled 1916 commemorative commission, Dearcán na nDaoine, for the grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin
While Rachel Joynt’s successful public sculptures are eminently legible, their enduring appeal stems from their detail and scale, writes Lisa Godson
In terms of public commissions, Rachel Joynt is one of the most successful sculptors of her generation. The Kerry-born sculptor lives and works far from the city, far from the sea, in the foothills of the Blackstairs Mountains in Co Carlow (Fig 2). She says that it is here, in this ‘arcadian landscape’ that she finds the stillness and spaciousness to develop her projects. These are orientated in two key directions – horizontal along the ground plane, and vertical against the sky.