1950 – Cenotaph, Leinster Lawn, Merrion Square, Dublin

A tapering granite obelisk 18.3 metres in height and topped with a gilt bronze flame, An Claidheamh Soluis (“The Sword of Light”), which features in Gaelic and nationalist mythology. Built to replace an earlier memorial of 1923 to honour Arthur Griffith, Michael Collins, and Kevin O’Higgins. By July 1939, it was in quite poor repair being constructed of cement over wood, so the Minister for Finance requested the Office of Public Works submit a design for a replacement memorial.

The request for a new design included a few stipulations, including the incorporation of a cross into the design. After the Office of Public Works submitted their design, Taoiseach Eamon de Valera heavily edited their design, even deciding to remove the names of those the new monument was meant to memorialise.

By 1947, the state requested a column or obelisk with a cross and portraits of the three men to accompany it. The final design has a golden cross inscribed on the public facing side. The circular base hosts a medallion for each man enclosed in bronze wreaths, as well as the inscription that was on the original Cenotaph: “Do Chum Glóire Dé agus Onóra na hÉireann” (“For the Glory of God and the Honour of Ireland”).