The controversial Sean Russell statue, which was beheaded by youths four years ago, has finally been replaced and fitted with security devices.

And in an extra step to secure the statue of the IRA leader, it has been built in bronze this time, and fitted with sensors and a tracking device.

Sean Whelan, chairman of the National Graves Association, told the Herald that the statue was a new one.

"In December 2004, there was a group who called themselves anti-fascists and they claimed to have beheaded it.

"Now we have a new statue, and it's only the base that is old. We got it made in a foundry in Dublin," he explained.

It is understood that the National Graves Association spent tens of thousands of euro renovating the statue.

donations

"We'll have a ceremony for it, but the date has to be fixed yet. We'll invite anyone who wants to come and see it being unveiled. It went up yesterday and it took a day to erect.

"We had a couple of functions to raise funds and individuals gave donations as well. It wasn't cheap because it's made of solid bronze. It's the most expensive way you could make a statue. There are motion sensors on it and a tracking device inside it. If someone removes the head for example, it'll be tracked."

The Fairview Park statue has fallen victim to vandals more than once.

desecration

"The Sean Russell was also vandalised in the 1950s by a right-wing group who thought he was a communist, and then it was vandalised by a group who thought he was a fascist," recalled Mr Whelan.

However, Mr Whelan says Sean Russell was a traditional republican and he was not a communist or a fascist.

"He went abroad five times. In 1939 he went to Germany which was then under Nazi control. He went to Russia one of those times as well, and people think he was a communist because of that."

Cllr Christy Burke (Sinn Fein) says "I'm glad to see it's back and I hope that there'll be no further desecration."

Sean Russell was a veteran of both the 1916 Rising and Black and Tan War. He trained in explosives while in Berlin under Nazi control, and returned to Ireland to launch a new IRA campaign.

hnews@herald.ie

- Geraldine Gittens