A powerful bronze memorial to covid-19 suffering has been described as bringing solace to visitors at Dublin’s Mater Hospital.
One staff member who lost her sister to covid-19 five years ago on Saturday, said she feels her presence in the quiet garden.
Rita Brogan said: “There were 17 healthcare workers who died from covid, which is just shocking. Unfortunately Mandy, our sister, was one of those.
“She was treated here, she was transferred here. It’s lovely to have this, not just for me but for all the staff.”
The five bronze figures sit in a circle, heads bowed.
It reminds Ms Brogan of when “we were all sitting at home feeling the same way (after Mandy died), not knowing what to do”.
The idea was sparked during a conversation with Dolores Heery, director of mission.
“The location of Our Covid Warriors now invites people to come in and sit down, they can sit on their own but there’s a sense they are not alone,” Ms Heery said. Suzanne Dempsey, director of quality and patient safety added:
There is a hopefulness to it, that you can sit and reflect and remember and you can move on.
Months of fundraising included collecting plastic bottles from the wards, pub-quizzes, and other events.
The sculptures are by Sean Gallagher, artist in residence and product designer at the Mater.
He had made smaller but similar shapes around 2021 without a real plan.
Suzanne Dempsey, left, and Dolores Heery, with sculptor Sean Gallagher at the ‘Our Covid Warriors’ installment. Picture: Moya Nolan
“I didn’t think about them much until I met with Dolores and Suzanne in 2023 maybe, then I had them and showed them — it resonated with them then,” he said.
“That’s very typical of art. You don’t always really necessarily understand the meaning behind something as you’re doing it and then it unveils itself.”
The women also visited the Bronze Art Fine Art Foundry during the casting process.
A small plaque in the reflection garden tells future generations: “Despite being socially isolated from one another, we worked together as a society to overcome this challenge.
The five bowed figures reflect this collective resilience as we navigated through a difficult and uncertain time.
A hospital spokesman said fundraising was supported by staff, with contributions from family, friends and “ a small donation” from the Mater Foundation.
He added it is open for anyone to visit and “reflect on those who were lost during the pandemic”.
Advocacy group Care Champions supported the fundraising.
“It’s lovely there is a place where people can find a bit of solace,” Majella Beattie said on Thursday.
“It highlights too the need for a national monument which we don’t have.”
The group has created its own mobile memorial wall which it brings regularly to meetings and protests.
“The government haven’t made any effort to put a memorial in place, it’s like they just want to sweep us away under the carpet,” she said.