O’Connell Street Monument

“our main Georgian Street”? There are two Georgian houses on it!! O’Connell Street is now largely a 2oth Century creation after the destruction of 1916.

I see in today’s “The Guardian” that the designer of the Spike Ian Richie Architects, has produced designs for new electricity pylons for France.

Pretty fine looking objects they are too, a distinct improvement.

I think the Spire is a much more interesting piece of architecture than the usual dross that is put forward for these competitions. Remember the mini Arc de Triomph that was proposed on the Late Late show a couple of years ago, as well as the usual “rebuild the pillar except with St Patrick on top” brigade or the viewing platform/revolving restraunt faction that want to take us into the 1950s. Almost every city in the world has their “Space Needle”/Telecom tower/Radio tower why must we automatically follow suit. I think that the spire in its simplicity is quite beautiful, of couse most people wont appreciate this until it is actually built (lest we forget how Napper Tandy led the angry mob bent on the destruction of works on the Customs House). It is time that we made a statement of our own to the world, it is the 21st century after all!!

I for one cannot wait to see the completion of this project.

Rory W

“The synergy between the tip, the cone and the base?”

There’s really not much else to say about the nature of this “monument” is there?

Does the lack of continuity in this city’s building history not bother anyone? The street was originally designed to trap and dominate its space. It doesn’t matter if most of the buildins are post 1916, the street continues to perform its asthetic function behind the garish shopfronts. Putting up a huge spike will completely overwhelm not only the street, but the whole town.

There is a difference between the beauty of SIMPLICITY, and an underdeveloped SIMPLISTIC idea. Clearly the fact that this monument is referred to as a “spike” reflects the latter idea. A project that expresses simplicity is not easily achieved and upon closer examination a simple idea is usually composed of many complex and interwoven concepts. And, I think you can achieve a focal point without being hit over the head with one.

Nelson’s Column was a stumpy badly proportioned structure. Reconstructing it would be an act of folly, looking backwards rather than forwards.

A woman was standing by the road side, the main access to a town, when a man named Mac approaching the town for the first time stopped and asked the woman what the next town was like. The woman replied by asking what was the last town like that Mac had just come from. Mac said the town was awful as the people where rude and unhappy. The woman said that the next town would be much the same as the last. The man went on his way. The woman continued standing by the road side when another man approaching the town for the first time stopped and asked her what the next town was like. The woman replied by asking what was the last town was like that he had just come from. The man said the town was wonderful as the people where courteous and happy. The woman said that the next town would be much the same as the last.

I look forward to seeing ‘The spike’, just like the Custom House its development was surrounded by controversy. The aluminium spike will reflect what’s going on around it, which for the most part is good and beautiful but sadly some people just can not see that.

[This message has been edited by Andrew Jennings (edited 10 May 2000).]

I hope the monument does get built. I believe the contrast between a modern structure like the spike and the classical features of buildings such as the GPO and Clearys` will only liven up the street. On the hight issue, I feel that at present O`Connell street is very boring with its uniform parapet hights, the monument will contrast this and be like a breath of fresh air.

I`ve noticed that this boring uniform parepet height has been copied in the IFSC extension I hope this boring model is not copied in the rest of the docklands.

Quite correct Peter, this monument deserves to be built, I too am sick of the procrastination about how we would be better off building self-effacing VD clinics in Leitrim than “Wasting” money on a piece of public art. We don’t need a ‘Telecom’ tower type thing in the middle of the street (how 1950s can you get), this is all about 21st century – you know the one that we are supposed to be living in at present. The one in Smithfield is fine, and as for all the comments about its lift shaft being ugly – what prey tell is the alternative; everybody including those in wheelchairs has the right to this viewing platform – something disabled access laws enforce.

To turn this project down would be a disaster for forward looking rejuvination of this town.

Rory W

i’ll try and get one…..

Dublin Corporation’s regeneration plan for O’Connell Street received a boost today, when the Environmental Impact Statement on the
Monument of Light, or ‘The Spike’, gave the project the go ahead.

If the plan for the 120-metre stainless steel needle and the new Plaza is given Ministerial approval, it will mean significant disruption for Dublin
motorists as two lanes of O’Connell Street will be closed during the construction process.

Dublin City Manager Mr John Fitzgerald believes that if action is not taken to restrict traffic flow through O’Connell Street, the city centre
would be “strangled”. He said that the overall plan was to make O’Connell Street sacred in the same way as the Champs Elysses in Paris.

Mr Fitzgerald also added that the Corporation was pressing ahead with its plans to address the current imbalance of “undesirable uses” of
O’Connell Street, specifically the large number of fast food outlets and gaming arcades.

Work on the monument is expected to take at least five months, followed by construction of the Plaza, which should take around 19 months
to complete. O’Connell Street will be closed for a weekend while the “Spike” is being put in place.

The EIS was carried out after the design of the monument was challenged in the High Court. The Corporation commissioned McHugh
consultants to carry out the study, which looked at the monument and its context in O’Connell Street and impacts on views and vistas.

Thank God for that! I am so relieved that it’s going ahead (although subject ti ministerial approval sounds a bit ominous!).
I am convinced that the Monument is right for Dublin and hopefully it won’t be long before everyone will be gawking up in amazement at this beautiful, elegant engineering marvel.

What the hell is the difference if it is now the 21st century ??? Why the constant need to remind us of the obvious, as if the connotation of new and good made sense. Just because the spire – or Monument of Light – is different to the surroundings, to the to the expectations of the Dubliners who will have to see it is not good in itself. This project is deeply unsypathetic to the architectural history and the skyline of Dublin and no amount of internationalist patronising pseudo-art expert posturing on fact that we have entered the 21st century will alter that. Why should we attempt to be international if that means to symbolise ourself with meaningless symbols, to be truly forward thinking is also to be partaking in the rich architectural traditions of the world which are full of meaning and do not discard substance for show.

re: lofty’s remarks.

For starters, there’s no way that the RTE Mast at Montrose is anything like 120m (c.400ft) It looks to me to me more like about 200ft (c.60m)

Secondly, I cant believe the person who is small minded enough to seriously perpetuate the ‘northside/southside’ crap in relation to the Spire or anything else for that matter.

To that kind of person I would say , get out more, stop being so petty. See the world. See that Ireland is TINY and therefore to talk of this psychological divide that is the pissy Liffey is only laughable. True, it makes for good natured humourfor locals but it should end there and not enter a reasonably serious forum like this.

I recently returned home to Ireland for a short holiday, and made my way into Dublin. It is so great to finally see the city coming out of the dark ages, it’s like the sun could never shine there before, because it was so dismil, it probably figured, why shuold I. Now it seems that the sun actually likes to sun on Dublin. Being born and living not too far from O’Connell street for some years, and finally ending up in America, gives me two different outlooks on how cities should, could, and might be. All the changes in Dublin are just great, it’s bringing life back into a somewhat run down world, and making the people see the city for what it is, a European City. Yes Ireland is part of Europe, and has finally figured out how to turn the lights on. All the ideas where always there, it’s just that no one was willing to risk putting them into play. And look at the difference, the place is alive. I feels good to go home and say that this is my city, this is my home.

The newspaper reaction to the Millennium Spire has been quite extraordinary. The supposedly balanced Irish Times prints letters from objector Michael O’Nuallain on an almost weekly basis. O’Nuallain should be given no credit whatsoever for slowing up what is a magnificent project. And every time, he is given either column inches in a newspaper or camera time on TV, there should be a graphic beside him showing what his suggestion for the site should be i.e. a tower with a flying saucer on top. For grand projects like this or something like LUAS or Metro, the government should have a special fast track to bypass our disastrous planning system. Horrible Lego buildings pop up every single day because nobody knows enough about them to object. But worthwhile projects which have a high profile end up on the backburner because of lunatics like O’Nuallain.

SYRINGE IN THE DINGE

dear la la
i think its great the names that people come up with for all the art pieces
i wonder does berties mates encourage him to get pieces put up so they can come up with funny names
on a personal note i think it shows the irish character for what it is, funny
but on a serious note there are many problems in this country and for the most part i think that most government, planners architects have no vision and keep this country where it is

we are at a point in time where we can really make an amazing contributioon to this city and to this country, the tiger is roaring but the money is not going to where it should be

i just came back from sweeden and denmark and was amazed to see the organization of theings and there infrastructure
who says socialism is a bad thing?

walking around the docks for the first time in over 16 months, as i was working away, i was amazed to see the changes but i was sad to see how dead it was, i talked to many people there, workers, passers through, kids in sherriff street playground and while there are nice buildings it could be a whole lot more

what can we do???

No more on this subject.
The Spire should be built.
Dara Holohan, may I congradulate you on your wise words, and you must be the new messiah of the planning world. We need more open minded, well educated Planners, not the territorial minded types.(Northside vs Southside, do intelligent people really care about that, I doubt it).
Anyway, let the spire be built as a symbol of these times. Do those against the spire want more Po Mo spew. We have all learn our lesson from postmodernism, & the lesson is ” NEVER TRY TO MAKE A PASTISCHE MOCKERY OF TIMES GONE BY, MOVE FORWARD”.

99% less energy is utilised when recycling aluminium, as opposed to the original extraction process from bauxite.
If Dublin corporation were to recycle all the aluminium cans from their bins & streets, this would be an achievable eco-friendly method of building the spire.
Its also quite symbolic.
A symbol of prosperity & beauty, rising up from the pile of rubbish which it is created from

I thought so, but seeing as everyone was speaking of aluminium, I presumed my information was incorrect.
Which is it?

As far as I can gather the best thing the spike has going for it is that it will encourage people to look up, thus avoiding the garish open sewer that is O’Connell St. at street level.

I think it’s great and the sooner they build it the better.
For the cynics out there – look on the bright side. A giant metal spike will symbolise the way our city has been shafted over the years.

Unfortunately, a mindset that rejects modern, revolutionary design, prevails among our public representatives. This is reflected in a preference for pastiche (like fake Georgian), which rejects architecture and public art that is progressive.

thankfully the IRA blew up nelson’s pillar. instead of considering what we should put up, why not look more closely at other things we should pull down. the corpo should invest the money set aside for the spike in setting up a new organisation who’s job it is to do away with similar offensive eyesores. any suggestions?

what’s the big deal about having a monument anyway? whatever gets erected will just date terribly like much of ireland’s modern architecture

Seamus, what a poxy attitude to have. “lets not build it because it will look dated” sweet jesus…. As Homer Simpson once said “trying is the first step towards failure”. Such a defeatest attitude. Typically Irish might I add.

As for putting the money into organisations to do away with “mistakes” of the past – on whos taste would we rely. Yours, mine, David Norris (We could all live in mock Georgian splendour), some gobshite minister from the country (remember Jimmy Tully, if not read about him in the Destruction of Dublin). Everybody’s taste is different, I like O’Connell Bridge House. My father hates busaras etc.

I heard somewhere that they were going to proceed with an “emasculated” version of the spire by chopping 20m off the top. What a cop out.

Please build it. It is a wonderful piece of art.

I heard unofficially that there is little appetite within the corpo architects dept / ian richie architects to proceed if forced to chop the height down by the minister