This tour is the perfect way to discover and discuss modern Irish history right up to the present day using public sculpture as a reference point. The nineteenth centuries saw “Statuemania’ thrive across Europe, particularly in the big cities such as Paris, London and Dublin. This tour takes you on a journey that begins with the story of Dublin’s Imperial monuments, which were to be replaced by nationalist monuments and how, over time, public statutes began to embrace modern materials , techniques and subject matter. The tour begins at the place where the first public statue in Dublin, a monument to the Battle of the Boyne and King William the Third was erected in front of Trinity College. From day one, this monument was controversial and like almost all other Imperial monuments (with one notable exception) is now gone, replaced by Irish Nationalist and modern monuments. Politics has always played a large part in the choosing of subject matter for public art and critically where the statue is to be placed. Dublin city council recently commissioned six pieces of sculpture reflecting contemporary Ireland. One of these is to be found on the O’Connell plinth outside City Hall on Dame Street.