Dublin – The Spire of Dublin

Located near to our hotel (as in where Liam and I were staying, I haven’t bought a hotel in the Republic of Ireland) on O’Connell Street is the Spire of Dublin, constructed here between 2002 and 2003. It’s certainly a noticeable structure in the city, replacing Nelson’s Pillar which was located here between 1809 and 1966, when it was blown up by the IRA. It would have been challenging to have had such a sign of British imperial rule in the heart of Dublin, but it is a little sad that the stone structure was destroyed in the way that it was. At least there is something here now, as the space was pretty much left empty after the Irish Army removed the remains in 1966.

Up close… There is some sort of design going on in the lower part of the structure, but it’s not particularly creative and there’s no way of going up the spire internally, so it is a little pointless (although perhaps not literally….). It has attracted numerous nicknames, including the Spire in the Mire, as well as some rather less polite names.

The observant might be able to see the spire in this photo….. I have no idea why the city has decided not to better illuminate this iconic structure, that does seem like an omission to me. Nonetheless, I do still like it, although I’m not sure how well it fits into the Dublin skyline and how relevant it is to nearby buildings, not least the General Post Office which has such an important history.