A LIFE-sized statue paying homage to one of Ireland's most celebrated citizens from the world of comedy is set to be unveiled in north London.
Humourist Spike Milligan, who died in 2002, will be remembered with the unveiling of the statue at Avenue House in Finchley on Thursday, September 4. The tribute will be incorporated into a bench.
The comedy legend’s daughter Síle Milligan, said she was “humbled” and “proud” about the way her father is being remembered.
“I think the bench will be a delight to children as well as adults as there is so much to see,” the 56-year-old, who has seen the memorial, told The Irish Post.
“There are so many small details that cover and represent times and events in Spike's life. It’s a very beautiful piece of sculpture.”
In 1962 Spike was granted Irish citizenship owing to his father Leo Alphonso Milligan, who hailed from Sligo.
And while Spike’s famous epitaph ‘Duirt mé leat go raibh mé breoite’ (‘I told you I was sick’) is often recalled, his daughter spoke of another aspect of his funeral.
A model of the sculpture set to be unveiled in Finchley“I think a demonstration of how strongly he felt was that his coffin was draped with the tri-colour flag at his funeral,” Síle said, adding that her father was “vehemently proud of being Irish” and kept his roots “well watered with Guinness”.
“He loved the country and the people,” she said.
Spike Milligan is remembered as a hugely influential writer, comedian and poet through works such as The Goon Show and Puckoon.
Set in 1924, Puckoon recounts the difficulties faced by a fictional Irish village caught between the partition of Ireland.
The classic novel, published in 1963, is being re-issued for the first time to coincide with the new memorial.
Spike, who lived in Woodside Park in Finchley between 1955 and 1974, was a major influence on mainstream and alternative comedy, from Monty Python to Eddie Izzard along with countless writers today.
Bestselling Australian author Kathy Lette, 55, a patron of the Spike Milligan Statue Fund, said she was “thrilled” about the statue.
“[Milligan] did so much to shape contemporary comedy. He changed the direction of humour, he changed that kind of surrealist genre in a way.
“He had an absolutely brilliant mind, but he could be also very profound,” said Lette.
She added: “For someone who spent their life knocking the pretentious off their pedestals, it’s a nice poetic justice that he’s finally getting his own plinth.”
Supported by funds from The Finchley Society, the permanent statue will be unveiled in the ground of Avenue House.
