The Spire of Dublin, or its official title the Monument of Light[1] (Irish: An Túr Solais[2]), is a large, pin-like monument 120 metres (393 ft) in height. It is located on the site of the former Nelson Pillar on O'Connell Street in the Irish capital, Dublin.
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Details
Designed by Ian Ritchie Architects, it is an elongated cone of diameter 3m (10 ft) at the base, narrowing to 15cm (6 in) at the top. Construction of the world's tallest sculpture was delayed because of difficulty in obtaining planning permission and environmental regulations. It is constructed from eight hollow tubes of stainless steel and features a tuned mass damper to counteract sway. The metal changes colors due to its reflective properties. During the day it maintains its steel look, but at dusk when the sky colors, particularly pinks and reds, the spike appears to merge into the sky.
Reason for the construction of the Spire
The monument itself was commissioned as part of a redesigned street layout in 1999. O'Connell Street (formerly Sackville Street) was perceived to have gone into decline from the 1970s. Some people blamed the appearance of fast food restaurants and the opening of bargain basement shops, all using cheap plastic, visually unattractive and obtrusive shop fronts, the existence of a number of derelict sites, and the decision in 1966 by former members of the IRA to blow up the Nelson Pillar, as reasons for the decline in a once famous and attractive street. In the 1990s, plans were launched to improve the streetscape. The excessive number of trees in the central reservation, which had overgrown and obscured the street's views and monuments, was reduced dramatically. Statues were cleaned and in some cases relocated. Shop-owners were required to replace plastic signage and frontage with more visually attractive designs. Private car traffic was re-directed where possible away from the street, with its number of traffic lanes reduced, to allow more 'public ownership' of the street for pedestrians. The centrepiece of this regeneration was to be a replacement monument for Nelson Pillar, the Spire of Dublin, chosen through an international competition by a committee under the then chairmanship of the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Alderman Joe Doyle from a large number of submissions. The choice of the monument proved controversial. It cost €4,000,000. Various nicknames were attached to it even prior to its erection (most famously, the "Stiletto in the Ghetto," "the binge syringe," "the Rod to God", the "Erection at the Intersection," "The Statue of Liberty's Dildo," and the "Stiffy by the Liffey"). One competitor sought judicial review of the choice. However on its completion in January 2003, much of the criticism subsided. Further changes in the street, including the creation of a new plaza in front of the General Post Office (GPO) and new tree plantings have been completed.
Public opinion
Although the spire met with initial opposition, many Dubliners seemed to come around to the idea of 'The Spire Of Dublin' during the monument's completion. The completion of the spire on 22 January 2003 was cheered on by 5,000 Dubliners who braved the cold to watch its erection and the RTÉ radio presenter Lillian Smith celebrated by broadcasting Neil Young's song, The Needle and the Damage Done. RTÉ broadcasted live and people around the world also watched the completion of the spire on the Internet. Opinions remain divided as to the nature of the monument itself. Most seem to have come around to accepting the monument, with varying degrees of enthusiasm. While some have praised it as potentially Ireland's Eiffel Tower, others continue to dismiss it as a huge dirty needle out of scale and character with the city, or slated it as being like a giant flag pole in the centre of O'Connell St. Whether they like it or not, all sides agree that it is likely to dominate Dublin's skies for decades if not centuries to come, in the same manner as the Nelson Pillar. History will see whether it will remain as controversial. The logo of Engineers Ireland (The Institution of Engineers of Ireland), introduced in 2005, may be inspired by the monument. Press releases say that the logo is a modified phi letter, but the central feature does bear a resemblance to the monument.
Other nicknames
Other nicknames have been proposed, of which only "The Spike" is current. Dubliners, however, have invented a score of insulting names for the monument to their success. The printable ones, some referring to O'Connell Street's dismal reputation, include 'the spire in the mire'; 'the stiletto in the ghetto'; 'the eyeful tower'; 'the nail in the Pale'; 'the pin in the bin'; 'the erection by the intersection'; and " most recently " 'the stiffy by the Liffey' :[3]
Similar monuments
Iglica in Wrocław is a similar design with a current height of 96 meters, but is older.
Gallery
 The view from Henry Street at dusk |
 View from O'Connell St. |
 During construction |
 View from an inner city apartment building |
 View showing the base artwork |
 The tip leans slightly to the east |
See also
References
- ^ Irish Independent, Spire cleaners get prime view of city, Tuesday June 05 2007
- ^ Comhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath (Irish). Retrieved on 2007-02-10.
- ^ "Our man in Dublin", The Independent, 25 June 2005. Retrieved on 2007-04-05. "Dubliners, however, have invented a score of insulting names for the monument to their success. The printable ones, some referring to O'Connell Street's dismal reputation, include 'the spire in the mire'; 'the stiletto in the ghetto'; 'the eyeful tower'; 'the nail in the Pale'; 'the pin in the bin'; 'the erection by the intersection'; and " most recently " 'the stiffy by the Liffey'."
External links
- http://www.ianritchiearchitects.co.uk/
- http://www.TheSpire.ie
- Construction Photographs
- Google Maps satellite view of Spire of Dublin
- http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b26123
- More photos of the Spire of Dublin on Flickr
