City Council Marks 40th Anniversary of Chornobyl Tragedy with Sculpture Unveiling

22/04/2026

Cork City Council was proud to facilitate the unveiling this week of a powerful new sculpture, Chornobyl Mother, by Irish sculptor Sandra Bell, in Marina Park to mark the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster.

Unveiled by Lord Mayor Cllr Fergal Dennehy as part of a partnership between Cork City Council and Chornobyl Children International (CCI), the work honours the victims, survivors and generations affected — while symbolising resilience and hope.

“Cork City Council was delighted to provide this prominent public space for such a meaningful piece of work - a powerful symbol of hope. Cork is immensely proud to stand with Adi Roche and Chornobyl Children International, and with all who continue this vital mission,” the Lord Mayor said.

The Chief Executive of Cork City Council, Valerie O'Sullivan, said: "Marina Park is one of the city’s most significant new public amenities, and it is fitting that such an important work of remembrance and reflection should find its home in a place that is open, accessible, and shared by all."

Adi Roche, Voluntary CEO of CCI, welcomed the collaboration as a deeply meaningful way to mark the anniversary.

“’Chornobyl Mother’ gives form to memory and compassion. It ensures that the voices and experiences of those affected are neither forgotten nor overlooked,” she said.

“This anniversary is not just a memorial for a disaster; it is a celebration of a miraculous Irish intervention.

“We took a tragedy that occurred thousands of miles away and made its victims our own.

“We proved that while radiation lingers for centuries, and Chornobyl is forever, but the half-life of Irish kindness is infinite.”