I photographed this back in 2008 using A Canon 1Ds MkIII and a 100-400mm Lens and at the time I was unable to find any information about the art or the artist.
Sculpture Details
Title: Red Sails at Sunset (frequently referenced as Red Sails in the Sunset)
Sculptor: Bernard Mortell (born 1947 in Cork; Irish sculptor, painter, and former director of the Sculptors’ Society of Ireland)
Medium & Dimensions: Painted sheet steel; approximately 2.7 metres high by 3.6 metres wide (9 ft × 12 ft)
Location: Elevated grassy verge beside the historic Martello Tower at Seapoint, south Dublin Bay, positioned between Blackrock and Monkstown / Dún Laoghaire (with the iconic Poolbeg chimneys visible across the bay in the background)
History, Meaning & Musical Connection
Commissioned in 1986 as part of the Tír Cualann Sculpture Symposium organised by the Dún Laoghaire Corporation (now Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council), the piece was designed to bring modern public sculpture to prominent coastal viewpoints.
Artistic Concept: Mortell shaped the sweeping red steel to capture the maritime pulse of Dublin Bay, symbolising billowing boat sails transforming into rolling ocean waves and back again.
Song Reference: The title directly evokes the famous 1935 musical standard “Red Sails in the Sunset”, composed by Will Grosz (under the pen name Hugh Williams) with lyrics by Irish lyricist Jimmy Kennedy.
Kennedy penned the lyrics while watching the local red-sailed yacht Kitty of Coleraine glide off Portstewart, County Londonderry. The song became a worldwide hit recorded by Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, and Fats Domino, providing a nostalgic maritime link for Mortell’s vibrant seaside installation.
Eventual Removal: After decades of harsh maritime salt-air exposure, corrosion, and recurring graffiti, the sculpture fell into poor condition and was eventually decommissioned and removed by the local council.
