Archive for Saint Patrick

Naomh Pádraig – Séamus Murphy

Posted in Art, Maynooth with tags , , , on March 23, 2026 by telescoper

I’ve walked past this imposing head of St Patrick countless times since I arrived in Maynooth, seven and a half years ago, but it was only last week that I found out a bit about it.

The statue is called Naomh Patrick (Saint Patrick) and it was created by Irish sculptor Séamus Murphy. It is on public view in St Patrick’s House, Maynooth, just inside the main entrance. It is made of polished limestone and was first unveiled in 1949. Here is an old newspaper article in which the photograph on the right shows the artist beside the sculpture…

(The picture on the left seems to show the artist, on the far left, dozing off during a speech…)