HILLWALKERS MAKING the climb up Slievecorragh mountain, in Co Wicklow, will pass an unexpected sight as they near the summit.
There is a kitchen chair there, made of bronze, with three teddy bears sitting on it looking out over the landscape below.
On the back of the chair is engraved a man’s name: Dan Clancy.
So what is this chair, and how did it get here?
The story, as told by forum user wicklore on MountainViews.ie, is that Dan Clancy was a local man who grew up on Slievecorragh and often walked its slopes with his family.
Dan and his many siblings spent many happy childhood days there, and often went up in the evening to watch the sun set.
Clancy later emigrated to New York, where he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He passed away in 2004 at the young age of 31.
Following his death, his brother Andrew – a sculptor – created the chair as a memorial to Dan. Andrew Clancy, who spoke about the chair on RTÉ’s Liveline in 2012, is said to have based it on one in the family kitchen.
The family also left a teddy on the chair, which has since been joined by two others. They all look out over the Kildare plains just as Dan must have done so many times.
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