A special blessing ceremony is to take place on Sunday December 17th in Thurles as the restored statue of Archbishop Patrick Leahy, located outside the Cathedral of the Assumption, has been revealed and will be blessed by Archbishop Kieran O’Reilly.
The statue to Archbishop Leahy was erected in 1911 in recognition of his contribution to the overseeing of the building of the Cathedral of the Assumption which opened in
1879. In June 2019, in an act of vandalism, the head of the statue of Archbishop Leahy was removed. A lengthy Garda investigation was initiated but the head of the statue was never recovered and those responsible were never brought to justice.
The restoration work has been carried out by sculptor Stephen Burke.
The blessing will take place on Sunday at the conclusion of the annual Carol Service which begins at 7.30pm. It is expected that the Carol Service will conclude at approximately 8.30pm with the final Carol being performed in the Churchyard close to the statue of Archbishop Leahy.
