The artist of a memorial is usually overlooked. Brian Tolle, the artist in charge of the Irish Hunger Memorial is intertwined with the memorial in more ways than one.

The memorial aims to consecrate the legacy and journey of these Irish immigrants, while maintaining relevance to today’s society. Arguably the most important aspect, the landscape is inspired by a 1965 photo of an Irish countryside complete with hills, flowing grass, and a cottage in the background. Also in the photo is Brian Clyne’s grandmother standing in a haycart. Clyne is Tolle’s life partner. In fact, Tolle was flipping through family albums at Clyne’s mother’s house when he stumbled upon the image. They contacted family in Ireland who still owned the cottage (the Slack family) and were able to ship the cottage, brick by brick, to be reassembled in Battery Park. The photo, and of course the cottage, were from Attymass County in Ireland. It was home to Clyne’s family, and it was the parish where there was the first official report of death by starvation due to the famine.

It is interesting to note, that even though Tolle is gay, there was no backlash by the Irish community even though people debate over a gay ban for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the pride of the Irish. Brian Tolle is an example of conflict & coexistence in New York City: he is criticized for some aspects of his life, but he has accredited acclaim for his Irish Hunger Memorial.