Cllr Christy Burke, who first suggested the statue six years ago, said he has been left with no choice but to plead with the U2 singer -- along with Phil Coulter and Enya -- for the €85,000 needed after cash for the memorial was withdrawn.
The Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) had agreed to install a statue to honour the Dubliners legend, but it has since retracted its promise because of financial woes.
Cllr Burke told the Herald: "Bono said he'd never met him but that he was a great fan, and Mr Coulter sang with him, and Enya is out there in her Dalkey Castle as well. There's also Chris De Burgh.
"If they all got together, the money could be found. Luke would have been the main man at the time, and he was an ambassador for Ireland when he was abroad. He was a most respected figure.
Angel
"Maybe some good guardian angel will come forward. I'm going to try and find a sponsor -- this statue is a long time coming. Maybe the music industry and its senior figures would come together with their thoughts about Luke.
"Recently when the DDDA were brought before the council they made it very clear that there was no funding available. You were looking at €85,000, and I didn't think that the DDDA were that short of funding that they couldn't honour Luke. I was disappointed for Luke and his family, because meetings had been going back and forth for the planning and for locations for the statue."
A DDDA spokesperson said: "Docklands CEO Gerald A. Kelly stated recently due to the present economic conditions the Authority is in no position to contribute financially to the project."
source : http://www.herald.ie/ by Geraldine Gittens
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