Stewards have been placed beside the Molly Malone statue in Dublin to prevent people from inappropriately touching it.
The city's council launched the pilot program following complaints about people touching the statue's breasts, the BBC reported. It's believed that the behavior began with a local tour guide, and as a result, the bronze sculpture has become discolored over the years from frequent touching.
According to Ray Yeates, the Arts Officer for Dublin City Council, the stewards are stationed by the Molly Malone statue to engage in a "conversation" with people about refraining from touching it.
"They're not guards or police, it's a gentle confrontation of the behaviour," he said.
"Some people say, and they have a point to make, that it's being touched inappropriately," he continued.
While he said it was a "worldwide phenomenon that statues are touched or rubbed and it becomes a custom," some people had "made a good point where we're mimicking behaviour we don't want to see in public".
"It would be illegal in public, so why would we mimic it?"
That being said, Yeates added that "some people see no harm in this whatsoever and think it's a very trivial matter for council to be involved in. There is a question of damage because several thousand Euro of damage would be done every few months
"This is damaging the statue and it is upsetting people."
Yeates noted that other measures are also being explored, including relocating the statue, elevating it on a plinth, or conducting maintenance and repairs more frequently.
The statue, which has stood in Dublin since 1988, honors Molly Malone, a legendary fishmonger who is said to have sold shellfish on the city's streets. Over time, she has come to symbolize the spirit of Dublin's working class, and many now argue that she should be treated with greater respect.
Meanwhile, recently released council records revealed that a recent inspection found the statue to be structurally unstable, with several damaged fittings, RTE reported. According to a report by specialist metalworkers at Bush Park Ironworks, two of the pins securing the sculpture were completely broken.
However, on Tuesday, Yeates said that after thorough testing, city engineers confirmed the statue remains securely in place.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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