The Dublin Spire

The Dublin Spire was erected between December 2002 and January 2003 on Dublin's main thoroughfare, O'Connell Street. Nothing of note had been erected on this spot since the removal of Nelson's Pillar in 1966. The Spire was designed by Ian Ritchie Architects and is a stretched cone shape which tapers from a 3m diameter at the foot to 15cm at the summit. The Spire is constructed from 8 hollow tubes of stainless steel which were assembled on site on O'Connell Street using a complicated crane and pulley system.

It had been originally hopped that the Spire would be completed by 2000 and erected to mark the millennium, but planning and environmental regulations resulted in a delay of 3 years. The Spire is not without its critics, but in general it has been very well received in Dublin and is seen as a fitting replacement for Nelson's Pillar. Since its construction, the Spire has been nominated for multiple architectural awards, including the Stirling Architectural Prize in 2004.

Nelson's Pillar, which preceded the Spire was a controversial granite pillar with a statue of Lord Nelson erected at the summit. The Pillar was built in 1808 to honor Admiral Lord Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar. Ireland was always a very independent nation, and did not appreciate having a monument to a British Soldier thrust upon them by their British occupiers. The Pillar was by far the tallest building in Dublin at the time, and until its demise in 1966, became a popular meeting place for the people of Dublin. The Pillar had an internal staircase to a viewing platform that gave unrivaled views over Dublin City and Bay.

Despite several attempts to have the pillar removed, including one by the then An Taoiseach Sean Lemass in 1960 who wanted to replace the statue of Admiral Lord Nelson with one of Saint Patrick, the pillar still remained. On March 8 1966 the pillar was blown up by a group of former IRA men to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. This had not been the first attempt by the IRA to have the pillar removed. In April 1954 the IRA called on Dublin corporation to seek legislation to remove the pillar, but the city fathers decided to take no action.

Today the Spire is one of Dublin's most visited tourist attractions. One of the most endearing aspects of the Spire is the fact that it reflects light so beautifully no matter what time of day. There are stunning views of the Spire from Henry Street as it seems to fill a void in the cityscape of Dublin.

author: Ronan Menton