Statue of Norman lord Hugh de Lacy erected in shadow of Trim Castle

A NEW statue of Hugh de Lacy, first Lord of Meath, sculpted by Mullingar-based woodcarver Richie Clarke, has been erected in Trim.

The wood carved piece stands on Castle Street, just outside the walls of Trim Castle.

Sculptor Richie Clarke has been interested in art since an early age. When he became qualified as a carpenter and joiner, the interest in art never left, but manifested itself as another hobby in the form of woodcarving.

This hobby continued throughout Richie's adult life and when at a woodworking show in the UK over 20 years ago, Richie saw a group of international chainsaw carvers competing in the UK open.

He came away inspired to take on this amazing form of large scale sculpture. So, with no schools or colleges teaching this, he decided to teach himself through trial and error.

He was asked by Husqvarna Ireland to demonstrate carving for them at the National Ploughing Championships and this led to more carving commissions and becoming so busy that Richie retired from carpentry and furniture making, to go full time into carving.

Over the last 10 years Richie has worked all over Ireland working for public bodies, and private clients. He takes his main artistic inspiration from Irish nature, mythology and folklore and also from fantasy literature. This latest piece depicts Hugh de Lacy. Earlier this year, a new biography of Hugh de lacy was launched by local historian Noel French, some 850 years after the Norman Lord was granted Meath, in April 1172.

"His legacy can be seen all around us. Norman surnames occur widely in those areas which were conquered at this time. The generations that followed became a ‘middle-people’ – not quite Irish and not quite English, but a mix of the two. They embraced the Irish language and Brehon Law, intermarrying with the Gael and trading with them as often as they fought them, but they still retained elements tying them to England," said Noel.