Father Theobald Mathew - Cork, Munster, Ireland
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 51° 54.001 W 008° 28.234
29U E 536426 N 5750050
A statue honoring Father Theobald Mathew, the Apostle of Temperance, is located in the middle of St. Patrick's Street, Centre, Cork, Munster, Ireland.
Waymark Code: WM183C2
Location: Munster, Ireland
Date Posted: 05/22/2023
Views: 1
The monument honoring Father Theobald Mathew depicts the a life size bronze statue of the Catholic priest standing on a bronze plinth set on a multi-tiered stone base. Mathew is wear clerical robes including a cloak. He has a high collared and a shirt and a cross around his neck. Hi his holding a round object, possibly a paten, in his left hand in front of his chest. His tight arm is held forward at waist level and the palm of his hand is facing down. The statue was created by sculptor John Foley, R.A. and cast at the HY Prince & Co. Foundry of London.
The front of the base is inscribed: FATHER MATHEW
The sides of the base are inscribed:
FATHER MATHEW
THE APOSTLE
OF
TEMPERANCE
---------
BORN OCT 1790
ERECTED DURING
THE MAYORALTY OF
J F MACGUIRE M P
---------
DIED DEC 1856
A TRIBUTE
FROM
A GRATEFUL PEOPLE
UNVEILED OCT 10TH 1964
Theobald Mathew was born at Thomastown, County Tipperary, on 10 October 1790. He was ordained a priest in the Catholic Church in 1814. In 1838 he founded the temperance movement in Ireland, the Knights of Father Mathew which became the Catholic Total Abstinence Society. The movement was part of the effort to improve the life of poor Irish workers. Fr. Mathew also traveled to America where he became a strong voice for the abolition of slavery.