Lawrence Sterne of Tristram Shandy fame was born in Clonmel in 1713. Spending only a few months of infancy there, he is nevertheless commerorated by two memorials in the town – one a plaque on the West Gate, another being , “Nothing Odd Will Do Long” designed by Ron van der Noll and sculpted by Bobby Blunt, and installed in its current location in 2012 following damage at its original site.
From a distance the memorial consists of four pillars, one of which is taller than the other:
Approaching one sees the smaller pillars have some kind of odd motif on top
Look through a peephole in the larger pillar… and it all comes together:
.. a portrait of the author!
Séamus Sweeney 