It was in serious need of some TLC.

But a sculpture by the renowned Irish sculptor John Burke, commissioned in 1985, has been carefully restored in Blackrock Village.

The Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Fergal Dennehy, unveiled the restored piece, titled Off Shore, in Blackrock on Monday alongside his father, former Lord Mayor John Dennehy (1983–84), who played a central role in the original Cork 800 programme from which the sculpture emerged.

“I am delighted to unveil this restored John Burke sculpture, originally commissioned to mark the Cork 800 celebrations,” the Lord Mayor said.

“It is especially meaningful to do so alongside my father, former Lord Mayor John Dennehy, who was a driving force behind those historic celebrations.

“This restoration ensures the work can continue to be appreciated by residents and visitors for many years to come.”

John Burke (1946–2006), a pioneering figure in modern Irish sculpture, was one of the most significant figures in the history of sculpture in Ireland in the second half of the twentieth century, and was instrumental in defining sculptural practice in Ireland during the 1970s.

A graduate of the Crawford School of Art and later the Royal Academy in London, he became known for his bold abstract compositions in welded steel.

As a lecturer at the Crawford, he influenced a generation of prominent Irish artists, including Eilís O’Connell, Vivienne Roche, Maud Cotter and Jim Buckley, and his teaching is often credited with creating a kind of renaissance in the well-established tradition of sculpture in Cork.