Irony in Celebration

Read the following excerpt from a fictional novel:

"As the townsfolk eagerly gathered around the new statue commemorating the Great Inventor, it became abundantly clear that no one quite knew what the inventor had actually invented. Frantic whispers filled the air: 'Was it the car, or the toaster, or perhaps it was a newer, better way to hold a coffee cup?' Yet, despite their confusion, they celebrated as if they had all won the lottery, their smiles bright as the sun. Little did they realize, the whole celebration was funded by the inventor's catastrophic failures—an ironic tribute to his lesser-known talent for creating disasters rather than innovations."

Which of the following best illustrates the use of irony within this excerpt?