A sculpture from McKeon Stone will be unveiled shortly at the National Stud.
The statue of Invincible Spirit has been commissioned by the National Stud, with the Laois based quarry supplying the winning tender.
The work is being done by sculptor Simon Carman from a solid block of Kilkenny limestone which originally weighed 20 tonnes.
It has now been whittled down to 12 – 13 tonnes.
“It’s a block of stone that only comes along every couple of years,” explained McKeon Stone MD Niall Kavanagh.
It was quarried from Castlecomer in Co Kilkenny.
A cast was originally done of the horse to work from.
However, Mr Kavanagh explained that the sculptor worked “fully from eye, really”.
“The CEO was down from the National Stud recently and they were delighted with it. They could recognise the horse in the stone,” he said.
He added that they felt the carving had really captured the spirit of the horse.
The piece is expected to be completed by June before it is brought to be put on permanent display at the National Stud.
“It will look very impressive up there,” Mr Kavanagh said.
Prior to the statue being brought there, it will be available to view locally on June 9. The sculptor will give a talk on his work at 4 pm at McKeon Stone, followed by light refreshments.
The sculptor, Simon Carman has strong Laois credentials, as his mother Cathy is originally from the Dublin Road in Portlaoise. She is also a sculptor.
Mr Kavanagh also praised the accommodation provided through the Laois Arts Office where apartments are provided for visiting artists, while they work in the county. He said this made it possible for artists such a Simon, amongst others, to come and work in the county.
Since 1950 McKeon Stone has been supplying Irish limestone stone products to the Irish and European markets.
At their limestone quarry in Threecastles, Kilkenny they extract large premium limestone blocks using world class quarrying technology.
At their stone factory in Stradbally, Co Laois they cut and craft the stone to each customer’s unique designs.
McKeon Stone is the last remaining Irish owned and managed dimensional Limestone quarry on the island.
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