Father Pat Noise
Father Pat Noise is a fictitious Roman Catholic priest, described on a hoax commemorative plaque installed by two brothers on O'Connell Bridge in Dublin, Ireland.[1] The full text of the plaque reads:
THIS PLAQUE COMMEMORATES
FR. PAT NOISE
ADVISOR TO PEADAR CLANCEY.
HE DIED UNDER SUSPICIOUS
CIRCUMSTANCES WHEN HIS
CARRIAGE PLUNGED INTO THE
LIFFEY ON AUGUST 10TH 1919.
ERECTED BY THE HSTI
![](../I/m/FatherPatNoise.jpg)
The hoaxers installed it in 2004, and owned up in May 2006 after the plaque was brought to the attention of Dublin City Council by a journalist for the Sunday Tribune.[2] They claimed the work was a tribute to their father, and that the name 'Father Pat Noise' is a word play on pater noster, Latin for "our father".[3] The 'HSTI' is also fictitious.[4] Peadar Clancy (misspelled on the plaque) was a genuine Irish Republican Army officer killed on the evening of Bloody Sunday, 1920[5]
The plaque was laid in a depression left by the removal of the control box for the "Millennium Countdown" clock, installed in the waters of the River Liffey in March 1996 as a countdown to the year 2000.[6] The clock and control box were removed in December 1996 after persistent technical and visibility problems.[7] Dublin City Council stated when the story broke that the Pat Noise plaque would be removed, as it was unauthorised.[8] Several ironic tributes of flowers and messages were left at the plaque.[9] A meeting of the South East Area Committee of the Council in December 2006 supported leaving it in place.[10] The original Fr. Noise plaque was removed in March 2007 during restoration work on the Bridge.[11] A second plaque was installed, again surreptitiously, some time later.[11] On 22 May 2007, Dublin City Council engineers intended to remove the plaque, but were stopped by City Councillor Dermot Lacey, who insisted the Council's order should stand.[12]
Eoin Dillon's 2011 album The Golden Mean includes "Lament for Fr. Pat Noise".[13]
References
- Rice, Eoghan (2 July 2006). "Fr Noise to be removed from O'Connell Bridge". The Sunday Tribune. Archived from the original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
- Rice, Eoghan (7 May 2006). "Is mystery plaque on O'Connell Bridge a hoax?". The Sunday Tribune. Archived from the original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
- "Mystery plaque to be removed from O'Connell Bridge". BreakingNews.ie. 10 May 2006. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
- Boland, Rosita (13 May 2006). "What's the crack with the plaque?". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
- "In Memory of Father Noise". Museum of Hoaxes. 9 May 2006. Retrieved 23 March 2007.
- Heffernan, Breda Monday (15 May 2006). "Hoaxers inspire contest for memorial". Irish Independent. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
- Egan, Rory (2 April 2006). "The Millennium Clock". Sunday Independent. Retrieved 24 March 2007.
- Kelly, Olivia (9 May 2006). "Mystery plaque to be taken down at O'Connell Bridge". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
- Photographs of plaque and tributes Flickr.com. Retrieved: 24 March 2011.
- "South East Area Committee Meeting – 8th January 2007" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
Motion from Councillor Dermot Lacey: This Committee agrees to discuss and supports the case for leaving the "Fr Noise" Plaque in situ on O’Connell Bridge. Order: Leave plaque in place or provide further report to Committee.
- Healy, Alison (22 May 2006). "Plaque to fictitious 'Fr Noise' to be taken off bridge again". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
- Healy, Alison (24 May 2007). "Hoax Plaque on Bridge Will Now be Left in Place". The Irish Times. Retrieved 27 June 2007.
- Long, Siobhán (14 May 2010). "Review: Eoin Long, The Golden Mean; Kila Records". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
External links
- Plaque Appears On O’Connell Bridge 2006 RTÉ Archives
- "A Man Out of Time" – RTE Doc On One documentary on Fr Noise RTÉ Doc On One