Ranelagh Arts Festival is delighted to announce that a sculpture to commemorate the great Richard Crosbie will be unveiled on Sunday, 28 September at 2.40pm in Ranelagh Gardens. Ranelagh Gardens is the site of the first manned balloon flight in Ireland by Richard Crosbie. The statue will be unveiled by Councillor Mary Freehill, Frank McNally, Irish Times columnist and Rose Doherty.

On 19 January 1785, Wicklow-born Crosbie (1755-1800) launched his ‘Grand Air Balloon and Flying Barge’, in which he intended to cross the Irish Sea, at 2.30pm from an exhibition area in Ranelagh Gardens. The balloon was ornamented with paintings of Minerva and Mercury supporting the Arms of Ireland and emblematic figures of the winds. More than 35,000 people had gathered to view the historical ascent. Due to early darkness, Crosbie decided to break his attempt to cross the Irish Sea and landed safely at Clontarf. This was a remarkable achievement, occurring just 14 months after the fififirst-ever balloon flflight undertaken by the Montgolfifififier Brothers in France.

The commemorative statue is the concept of Dubliner Rory Breslin, a leading Irish artist who founded the Head Sculpture Galleries in Temple Bar. He cobuilt the Callow Bronze Foundry in Mayo, lectured in the sculptural department of the National College of Art and his work can be seen throughout Ireland.

Breslin set himself four main objectives:

• to commemorate Richard Crosbie and his brave endeavour;
• to echo the actual event in 1785;
• to underline the inquisitiveness of youth;
• to create an educational curiosity for viewers, especially young people.

Over the years, many individuals and organisations have kept alive the memory of Richard Crosbie and his link with Ranelagh, including Deirdre Kelly, whose book Four Roads to Dublin chronicles Crosbie’s flight; Dympna Kelly and James Connolly Heron of the Richard Crosbie Memorial Committee; Dublin City Council Arts Offificer Jack Gilligan and his colleagues, particularly Jim Doyle, Arts Offificer for the South East Area; and all the Local Councillors, in particular Mary Freehill who sourced funding for the project.