“I saw Philo’s mother, Phyllis on the Kelly Show in 2001 and she said the Roisin Dubh Foundation was going to raise the money for a statue to commemorate him. She said they’d be looking for an artist to do it. I knew it had to be me.’
That single-mindedness reaped its reward. Paul experimented with clay and soft wax. He created an image of that man he’d seen back in Howth in the ‘80s, standing tall and proud with the swagger of the cowboy and the vagabond. ‘It was what he was all about,’ says Paul.
The statue was cast life-sized in bronze by Cast Foundry of South Brown Street, The Liberties, Dublin, from Paul’s original bronze maquette that now stands on the shelves of Bruxelles’ bar, Harry Street, Dublin 2.
Since those early days, Bruxelles bar has become synonymous with the new Dublin music scene. Because even though the bands moved on, they left behind a gathering place for like-minded souls. When the bar extended into what is now The Flanders bar, its part in the lore of Irish rock was established.