"He very kindly passed a lot of wisdom on to me."

The unveiling of a statue in memory of Limerick man Richard Harris has taken place in Kilkee yesterday.

Actor Russell Crowe did the honors at the ceremony in the town and spoke of his fondness for his late , great friend,

"Richard was a great guy and he was a very good friend. Imet Richard at a time in his life when he was probably reflective of what he had done over the time he had spent on the planet. He very kindly passed a lot of wisdom on to me. If all I could make something like this, I'd love to have been here and it just has worked out that way and I'm very pleased."

The statue of the Limerick man which costed €40,000 depicts Harris playing racquet ball - a game at which he excelled, winning a competition four years in a row at the town.

The statue is located on a cliff walk looking over the Pollock holes.