Statue of Harpist in burial ground

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A statue of a female harpist, over-life-size, carved in white marble, now much weathered, standing on a rough hewn stone plinth. It represents a figure of Ireland or Erin mourning for her sons killed in battle.

The statue is aligned on a north to south axis. There are two inscriptions, as follows. On the east face, bottom right-hand corner – 'A.J. Victor Segoffin, Statuaire, Paris, 1923'; and on the west face, along the bottom – "This statute was intended by Lord and Lady O'Neill as a memorial to their eldest son Captain The Hon: Arthur O'Neill, M.P. 2nd Life Guards and the men of this district who fell with him in the Great War of 1914-1918. The burning of Shane's Castle in 1922 prevented its erection there, and after the death of both Lord and Lady O'Neill it was presented to Randalstown Public Elementary School by their surviving children. The statue is the work of the French sculptor A.J. Victor Segoffin and represents the figure of Ireland or Erin mourning for her sons killed in battle."

SETTING: The statue stands in a rural area, in a private burial ground within the grounds of a large demesne. It is located immediately adjacent to the stone burial vault (HB20/04/044B) in the south-west corner of the graveyard, surrounded by rough grass and overshadowed by tall trees, but clearly visible from the entrance gateway.

Historical information

Sculpted by the French sculptor A.J. Victor Segoffin in Paris in 1923 to the commission of Lord and Lady O'Neill as a memorial to their eldest son Captain The Hon. Arthur O'Neill of the 2nd Life Guards, and the men of the district who died with him in the Great War of 1914-18. It represents the figure of Ireland or Erin mourning for her sons killed in battle. After the death of both Lord and Lady O'Neill it was presented by their surviving children to Randalstown Public Elementary School and set up within the school grounds. Returned by the school to the O'Neill family in the 1980s and set up in its present position within the Shane's Castle demesne.
The statute stands within the area of an ancient monument, no.ANT49:54.

References – Primary Sources
1. Inscriptions on memorial.

Secondary Sources
1. UAHS, Antrim and Ballymena (Belfast, 1969), p 27 (item no 31).
2. News Letter, 12 Feb 1988.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
X. Local Interest
V. Authorship

Evaluation

This is an accomplished work of symbolic figure sculpture in stone by a French artist, Victor Segoffin, which enjoys a pleasant setting and together with the adjacent burial vault forms an interesting group.

General comments

This record was originally numbered as HB20/04/044A.