FINE ART FOR FOOTBALL
FINE ART SCUPLTOR JARLATH DALY SHARES HOW HE PRODUCES THE BESPOKE SCULPTURE FOR EACH YEAR’S ALL-STARS
By Daire Walsh
The TG4 All Star awards night that was recently held at The Bonnington Dublin Hotel proved to be a noteworthy event for Jarlath Daly as it represented the culmination of several months of hard graft from the Tipperary native.
A graduate from the Limerick School of Art and Design who previously worked as a secondary school teacher for two decades, Daly is the creative force behind the All Star sculptures that are handed out across the GAA, the LGFA and the Camogie Association on an annual basis.
His work in this area first began in the mid-1990s and while it does present a significant challenge, he always ensures that a unique spin is brought to his design of the All-Star awards with each passing year.
“Every year I change the designs for the All-Stars, because I was aware of different hurlers or footballers getting the same All-Star for five years in-a-row, standing up in the pub or wherever they worked. I decided I would change it and make it a piece of sculpture every year that they get,” the Irish bronze sculpture specialist explained.
“It’s not alone an award, but it’s a piece of unique bespoke sculpture. From then on, it was like a millstone around my neck that I had to come up with different designs every year. Because it would be easy just to make them all and bang them out, but that’s not the nature. I’m a fine art sculptor as opposed to a trophy maker.”
Having already seen his sculptures for the TG4 LGFA Intermediate and Junior Teams of the Championship being presented at the beginning of the month, Daly was there to witness his TG4 Ladies Football All-Stars being handed out on Saturday, November 18 at The Bonnington – a day after his PwC awards were collected by the finest footballers and hurlers of the GAA world at a gala event in the RDS.
This brought an end to a lengthy process that began in earnest back in February and Daly offers a sense of what goes into the creation of an All Star award.
“Everything is modelled directly onto wax. In order to get anything into bronze, you have to start off with this wax process. It’s called cire perdue or lost wax. Whatever is in wax will eventually be in bronze. In order to get to that stage, you sprue the wax.
“Sprue would be like putting different rubber straws or wax straws on that will pour the bronze eventually and pour the wax out beforehand. It’s called an investment. Then you go onto the chasing. You’ve different technicians in the foundry that will do the cleaning and chasing.
“That’s with a chisel and hammer, getting rid of the faults and shimmies. When bronze is cooling down, it cracks and different blemishes may occur. That’s why every piece is always different and that’s what makes them extra unique. The patination then, you decide on what colour you would like your bronze.
“Bronze is made up of 95% copper. When you see a shiny copper, it turns green eventually from oxidation and the rain etc in the atmosphere. That gives you a green colour. If you want a green colour, you can apply this with heat and some chemicals. Or you can go brown or you can go flourish them red.
“After that then you have your polishing, where you buff up shoulders, knees, heads, ponytails and mount it on the bronze base, which is engraved with the logos of the LGFA and TG4 etc. That is the culmination of one piece. So multiply that by 15 plus the player of the years. It’s a long process, but an enjoyable process.”
Given he is an avid sports fan in general – he was a playing member of MU Barnhall RFC, located close to his studio in Celbridge, Co. Kildare, for a number of years – Daly is always thrilled to be invited to the various award ceremonies that showcase his work. In particular, the infectious joy that is on display at the TG4 All Star awards is something that he finds incredibly pleasing.
“It’s a great honour to be invited to the award ceremonies. You get to meet people of all different codes at the events. I must say, I love the Ladies Football All-Stars because when the girls or the ladies receive the award, they’re so enthusiastic and appreciative,” Daly added.
“They really love the fact that they’re holding a piece of bronze. Sometimes when you watch the guys at the PwC All-Stars, they get it, they look at it and they put it on the ground! I know that they do take them home with them, but the ladies seem to enjoy it a lot more. They scream and they roar with the excitement.”