This statue of a sailor stands in the garden of a house in Dalkey looking out to sea. The house is called Nerrano House and was recently for sale at over €3million. And the lighthouse connection?
The figure of the Metal Man was designed by Thomas Kirk in 1816 to be erected in Sligo Bay as a lighthouse. Apparently there were four figures cast from the mould. One went to Sligo and can still be seen there. A second was placed on top of a large pillar at Brownstone Head down in Tramore. He has become a symbol of the town.
And the other two? Nobody knows but the most recurring legend is that one went to Dalkey and the other went to Sydney Australia. There is no sign of the one in Sydney anywhere and its probably lying at the bottom of the ocean somewhere. The legend of the Dalkey Metal Man may have come from this figure which stands in the grounds of a house once owned by the McAnaspie family.
Unfortunately, this figure is nothing like the figures in Sligo and Tramore. The arm positions are different, he has a hat, the legs are straight etc. Obviously not a chip off the old block. The McAnaspies had a plaster and ornamental business but it is not known whether Nerrano Man was an advertising technique or was used to guide ships into the harbour at Dalkey.
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