According to TheJournal.ie, the Phil Lynott (THIN LIZZY) statue — which was unveiled on August 19, 2005 in his hometown of Dublin, Ireland, on the corner of Grafton and Harry streets — was seriously damaged in the early hours of this morning when two youths pushed it over. The statue's bronze coat suffered a tear in the fall and it has since been removed for repairs.

Lynott's mother Philomena gave her reaction to the initially distressing news this morning.

"I was very upset at first because the thought that it might have been vandalism made me feel terrible," she told Hot Press. "But it seems now that it was just a bunch of high-spirited boys who meant no harm. So I am not annoyed with them. I'm only hoping that none of the lads got hurt."

According to RTÉ, the Phil Lynott statue was commissioned by the Roisín Dubh Trust, which was set up to commemorate the life and work of the late THIN LIZZY frontman.

The Roisín Dubh Trust had approached Dublin City Council in January 2000 in a bid to get a statue erected as a tribute to Lynott. Plans were approved by the council in February 2001.

Sculptor Paul Daly was commissioned to work on the statue after a competition to find an artist who could capture Lynott's charisma. The bronze statue of the rock star was cast by Leo Higgins and the plinth hand-carved by sculptor Tom Glendon.

Lynott died in 1986 at the age of 36 after suffering heart failure as a result of a drug overdose.

Photo below courtesy of Dublin City Business Improvement District Facebook page