Jeanne Patricia Rynhart (17 March 1946 – 9 June 2020) was an Irish sculptor and creator of the Molly Malone statue.

Background

Rynhart was born Jeanne Scuffil in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

on 17 March 1946. Her parents were Kathleen Connolly and Frederick Scuffil, the latter a sign writer for

Guinness Guinness () is a stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at Guinness Brewery, St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century. It is now owned by the British-based Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic bever ...

. She was an apprentice to George Collie RHA for 2 years, and then attended the

National College of Art and Design The National College of Art and Design (NCAD) is Ireland's oldest art institution, offering the largest range of art and design degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the country. Originating as a drawing school in 1746, many of t ...

. After graduating in 1969, she moved to England where she continued her studies in fine art and shared a studio with sculptor John Letts. She returned to Ireland in 1981, moving to

Ballylickey Ballylickey or Ballylicky () is a village on the N71 national secondary road and Bantry Bay near Bantry, County Cork, Ireland. The Ouvane River flows into Bantry Bay at Ballylickey. Tourism There is a caravan park at Eagle Point. The Seaview ...

, near

Bantry Bantry () is a town in the civil parish of Kilmocomoge in the barony of Bantry on the southwest coast of County Cork, Ireland. It lies in West Cork at the head of Bantry Bay, a deep-water gulf extending for to the west. The Beara Peninsula i ...

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

, where she established the Rynhart Fine Art gallery and workshop. Rynhart and her husband, Derek Rynhart, had 2 children.

Career

Rynhart created the Molly Malone statue for the 1988

Millennium celebrations. The statue was controversial at the time of its unveiling due to the revealing dress the statue wore. Registrar of

Aosdána Aosdána ( , ; from , 'people of the arts') is an Irish association or academy of artists, each of whom must have produced a distinguished body of work of genuine originality. It was created in 1981 by the country's Arts Council on the initiati ...

, Adrian Munnelly wrote to the An Bord Fáilte criticising it. The statue was defended by the

Lord Mayor of Dublin The Lord Mayor of Dublin () is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The incumbent, since December 2024, is Fine Gael councillor Emma ...

Ben Briscoe Ben Briscoe (11 March 1934 – 10 July 2023) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1965 to 2002. Political career Dáil Éireann Briscoe was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil TD for the Dublin S ...

. Rynhart herself wrote in

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

that the clothing and appearance were accurate for women of that era. The statue has since become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Dublin and is fondly regarded by locals. Rynhart also sculpted a statue commemorating the original Rose of Tralee, Mary O'Connor, which stands in

Tralee Town Park Tralee Town Park () or known locally as "The Green" is a public park located in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland. Covering an area of 35 acres it is one of the largest urban public parks in Ireland. It is located in the heart of Tralee off Denny St ...

. In 1993, she produced 2 statues in honour of Annie Moore at Cobh Heritage Centre in Cork and

Ellis Island Ellis Island is an island in New York Harbor, within the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York (state), New York. Owned by the U.S. government, Ellis Island was once the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United State ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The Ellis Island statue was dedicated by the then-

President of Ireland The president of Ireland () is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The presidency is a predominantly figurehead, ceremonial institution, serving as ...

Mary Robinson Mary Therese Winifred Robinson (; ; born 21 May 1944) is an Irish politician who served as the president of Ireland from December 1990 to September 1997. She was the country's first female president. Robinson had previously served as a senato ...

. In 1994, Rynhart's daughter Audrey joined the business. Audrey and her husband, Les Elliott, continue to operate from their studio in

Glengarriff Glengarriff () is a village of approximately 200 people on the N71 national secondary road in the Beara Peninsula of County Cork, Ireland. Known internationally as a tourism venue, it has a number of natural attractions. It sits at the northe ...

, County Cork.

Death

Rynhart died on 9 June 2020, aged 74, in Schull Community Hospital, Cork. She was buried in the Abbey Cemetery, Bantry, and is survived by her husband Derek and their children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rynhart, Jeanne 1940s births 2020 deaths 20th-century Irish sculptors 21st-century Irish sculptors 20th-century Irish women artists 21st-century Irish women artists Alumni of the National College of Art and Design Artists from Dublin (city) People from Bantry