I give many walking tours in Galway City, where I talk about the 14 Tribes of Galway, the story of the Claddagh Ring, Humanity Dick Martin, and many other aspects of the city’s rich history. However, visitors are often most curious about the sculpture shown in this photo. “The Inquisitive Hare” is a charming artwork by sculptor Donnacha Cahill. When people ask, “What’s with the rabbit?” I gently correct them: “It’s a hare.” The Irish hare is one of our most ancient native animals and a true free spirit. Unlike rabbits, hares do not live in warrens; instead they rest in a simple hollow known as a form, often found along paths or in open fields.
Hares are remarkable travellers and are known to roam great distances, particularly enjoying running against the wind on dry, blustery nights. In ancient times, hares were held in high regard. The Celts believed in metempsychosis—the idea that when a person dies, their soul may immediately pass into an animal. This belief appears in the epic The Táin, including the story of the two pig-keepers who, through a series of transformations, eventually became the two legendary bulls over which a great war was fought. The famous warrior queen Boudicca is also said to have kept a hare by her side, using it as a guide when she rose against Roman rule.
Hares are fascinating creatures with strong personalities. In springtime they can sometimes be seen gathered in clearings, facing one another in contests of strength to determine the dominant buck. From this behaviour comes the well-known saying “mad as a March hare.” Long ago, the people of the Claddagh fishing village just outside Galway’s city walls believed in many piseogs, or superstitions. One such belief held that seeing a hare before the fishing fleet sailed was a bad omen—enough to cancel the day’s voyage entirely.
Perhaps, during National Biodiversity Week, this sculpture offers a reminder to appreciate the Irish hare—an ancient native species that might even be, according to old beliefs, a long-lost relative quietly checking in on us.
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