The statue of Mary, also known as the Lady of the Wayside, was erected in 1954. It is dedicated to sailors who perished at sea.
The location was not chosen by chance: the Coomakista Pass lies more than 215 meters above sea level and offers a wide panoramic view of the Kenmare River, Abbey Island, Deenish Island, and Scariff Island, as well as the village of Waterville and an ancient Iron Age stone fort. For fishing communities along this coast, the sea was always both a source of livelihood and a source of danger — a statue of Mary at such a prominent point as protection for the fishermen was therefore an understandable and common tradition in Catholic Ireland.