Monument to Christopher Columbus (Galway) facts for kids
The Monument to Christopher Columbus is a special statue in Galway, Ireland. It was put up in 1992 to remember Christopher Columbus's visit to the city way back in 1477. You can find it right next to the famous Spanish Arch.
The Story Behind the Monument
In 1992, a sculptor named Mick Wilkins from Cork was asked to create this statue. It was made to celebrate Christopher Columbus's visit to Galway in 1477. The city of Genoa, which was Columbus's hometown in Italy, gave this sculpture as a gift. They wanted to mark 500 years since Columbus started his famous journey across the ocean, which led him to land in North America.
The words on the bottom part of the statue, called the plinth, say something important:
On these shores
around 1477
the sailor
Cristoforo Colombo
from Genoa
found clear signs
of land beyond
the Atlantic Ocean.
The City of Genoa
to the City of Galway
June 29, 1992
Recent Events and Discussions
In June 2020, during a time when many monuments around the world were being discussed or changed, the Columbus monument in Galway was also affected. On June 10, some people wrote on the monument. This led to discussions about whether the monument should stay or be removed.
