Realt na Mara

"The crystal star in the photo sits atop a statue at the end of Bull Wall in Clontarf, Dublin. In the 1940s and 50s, a committee was set up of Dublin port workers, who collected money to erect a memorial statue of the mother of God for the protection of those in Dublin port and at sea. The project took 22 years to complete. Most of the time was spent collecting sufficient funds to have the memorial erected. It is named Réalt na Mara. The trade union movement, among many Dublin companies; ESB, Gas company, port workers, Guinness, etc. collected funds and many events such as church gate collections, musicals, plays, dances etc. added to the fund. The mainstay of the memorial committee was my Grandfather, William Nelson, who along with others, saw the project through to completion in September 1972. In 1978, Waterford Crystal made and donated 14 stars, twelve of which were fixed to a halo, and mounted on the statue above the head. At night the twelve crystal stars reflect light that shines from floodlights below the base of the statue. I have one of the two spare crystal stars. It measured 10cm x 10cm x 3.5 cm and weighs 800grams. The second spare star was damaged. My grandfather, William Nelson, born 1893 and died 1984 in City Quay wrote his memoirs in the 1970s, predominantly about his life at sea. He survived a submarine attack in 1917,where his ship was sunk. He and the crew rode back to safety in the North of Ireland. Many events that could have taken his life are detailed in his memoirs. He felt there was a higher order looking after him and that was his main inspiration for having the statue erected. "