Stewards have been brought in to protect a famous statue of Molly Malone in Dublin after complaints people were groping the sculpture’s breasts.
Dublin’s City Council has taken the action and issued a message to discourage people from touching the city’s iconic statue.
The extra measures come after local campaigners complained about the lack of respect given to the statue.
The sculpture’s breasts have been touched so many times, they are now discoloured and are to be re-patinated by the council, a spokesperson said..
“Dublin City Council have received complaints about members of the public particularly tourists touching the Molly Malone statue, they said. "Dublin City Council do not want anyone to touch any work of art whether indoors or outdoors to avoid damage and costly repairs.”
They added that the low plinth height and space around the statue allows crowds to congregate easily while the statue is also a feature of tours given by tour guides.
“A pilot week of stewarding will occur in May to begin educating those who are interacting with the statue and requesting they do not touch the statue or step on the plinth and discussing the reasons for not doing so,” the spokesperson said.
The council is also considering raising the plinth to deter tourists from touching the statue.
Student Tilly Cripwell spearheaded the Leave Molly mAlone campaign after the 23-year-old said she has witnessed "disgusting behaviour" toward the statue while busking beside it over the years.
Molly Malone is a figure from Irish folklore, the protagonist of a song about a girl who sells cockles and muscles from a barrow in “Dublin’s fair city”.
A bronze sculpture of her pushing her cart was erected on Grafton Street in 1988 as part of Dublin’s millennium celebrations and was moved to its current location outside the Dublin Tourist Office on Suffolk Street in 2014.
The custom of groping her breasts is said to bring good fortune.
Ms Cripwell had been engaged in talks with the city council and responded to the news: “I am thrilled with this progress, amidst continued discussions of elevation of the statue on a plinth and the installation of a plaque explaining its legacy.
“It is a great representation of how community action, responsible tourism and heritage conservation can come together to safeguard the city’s cultural treasures and values.
“I hope that it brings further positive representation of women in culture, leading to good examples around treatment of women on a broader social level.”
However, she told the BBC that the steward scheme was “short sighted and quite short term,” and hoped if behaviour did not change, that the statue could “potentially raised on a plinth”.
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