LUKE KELLY STATUE SOUTH KING STREET 01/11/2026

Luke Kelly Statue on South King Street portrays the legendary Dublin balladeer mid-performance, seated with his five-string banjo, head tilted back, and mouth opened wide in full, resonant song. Unveiled on 30 January 2019 to mark the 35th anniversary of his death, the life-size bronze monument captures the raw vitality and intensity that defined Kelly's stage presence. Rather than an idealised civic monument, the bronze surface renders the craggy contours of his features, his signature mane of wild curly hair, and the physical force of a working-class artist pouring everything into a ballad.