The sculpture commemorates the 80th anniversary of the experiment in which Ernest Walton and John Cockcroft successfully split an atom by artificial means in 1932, demonstrating the famous Albert Einstein equation, e=mc2.

Their achievements were recognised in 1951 when Walton and Cockcroft were together awarded the Noble Prize in Physics.

The Apples & Atoms Sculpture was designed by Eilis O’Connell and consists of a series of mirrored stainless steel spheres, inspired by Walton's drawings, and evoking those used during Walton and Cockcroft’s experiment. The spheres reflect specially planted native Irish apple trees to pay homage to Walton's other interest for growing fruit trees, his intellectual rigour and his figure as a teacher and father.