The Spike
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Email currently doing the rounds …
Given Ireland’s success at rigging internet votes, we could help our tourism trade by fixing it for us to get listed as a new 7th wonder of the world. This website offers you the opportunity to participate in the first internet vote to elect the New 7 Wonders of the World The candidates already include Petra, Machu Picchu, and the Eiffel Tower.
Sadly, Ireland doesn’t get a look in. But visitors to the site can send in their suggestions. If we can get the BBC to name ‘A Nation Once Again’ as the worlds’ greatest song, then surely we can get ‘the Spike’
listed as one of the 7 wonders of the world too!so go to the following link :
http://www.new7wonders.com/suggest_nominee.php
enter your details amd place the following text in the suggestion box :
The Millennium Spire, Dublin, Irelandand off we go again…………………………
Good one Pete ….Come on, let’s all vote for the Spire……and have it up there with ‘A Nation Once Again’…….heh heh!
Good one Graham, If Freud was here he would no doubt relate it all to sex ……penis envy and fear on behalf of the young women, aspirational on behalf of young men, jealousy on behalf of old men who can get it up no longer, and Sex mad older women who’ve seen it all before and just can’t get enough!
Is just me or is the crane being taken down? I noticed it in the “kneeling down” position earlier, but I can’t see it at all now.
I was expecting it to stick around for a couple of weeks so they can take down the temporary beacon when the internal lighting goes in.
Anyone know any better?
James
Well Graham, GregF, as far as gender-based patterns in opinions of the spire – what exactly do you mean by “old”?!
I certainly favor the way it catches evening light, disappears in the middle once the sun has gone down, and currently has a little glowing red light floating at the top.
Just wondering if I still qualify as “young” – especially since most of the gentlemen I have talked to on the street wear tweed caps and have “come into town”!
Be whatever you want to be, this is the internet!
The crane has just gone asleep, there’s no point keeping it up for a week, until the beacon is has to be removed.
just noticed that camvista have adjusted their camera to take in the full height of the spire, refreshes every five seconds so its pretty good…
The crane has more than gone to sleep… the lower half is lying along the street, and the upper half is in pieces. I agree there’s no point in keeping it up for a week, but I would expect if they still needed it they would keep it in the “kneeling” position that it was in over Christmas, and the other times the project was idle for weeks.
I’m guessing that they’ve got a cheaper way of getting the beacon off when they’re finished with it.
A very long stick, perhaps?
James
OH, LOOK, LOOK, LOOK, I’ve just become a senior member, oh the pride! The privilige! Better brush up on my grammer! Oh I’m made up over this!
Well done, Graham.
It would seems to suggest that the crane is finished with.
I presume that doesn’t mean they’re leaving the beacon up permanently, and they have an easier/cheaper way of removing it.
James
Very odd, I can’t think how they’ll take it down. A construction worker told me it will take 2 weeks to dissassemble the crane and move it off site.
But who cares! I’m a Senior Member! I’m a Senior Member! To think I’ve reached these dizzying heights, being on a par with the Old Masters like fjp and Greg F…. Oh the honour!!!
i won’t get too excited graham, i’m a senior member too and i never have anything memorable to say.
so here is my favourite story about how everyone has changed their opinion about the spike, for some reason i was home on friday and had joe duffy on and some people were ringing in giving out because gavin friday had pulled an inflatable spike between his legs at the brown thomas fashion show and waved it in an suggestive way, anyway joe encouraged people to ring in with their views, was the shocking or harmless fun, who knows, but all the phone calls were from people who wanted to know were they could buy inflatable spikes.
the answer, by the way, is that the inflatable spike gavin friday pulled though his legs was a bespoke creation made by the point prop department and, according to the times, the image of the spike belongs to ian richie, but he, lovely man, is giving it a “spire trust” which will license these things and give the profits out in grants to arts groups and so on.
And thus is laid to rest that last remaining reason to bitch about the Spire … its €5 million price tag.
The Irish Times estimates that millions more will be made from selling images and models of the Spire. I would cut and paste text in here but their site is very slow today.
Maybe the profits can be spent on the homeless or on hospital beds. Or better still, on more grand projects like the Spire.More grand projects is my preferred option.
The Spire was stunning this morning, went down to photograph it without the crane in the background. It looks unreal in bright light, like a CGI rendering.
i would have thought some of the monies raised would have to go towards maintenance of the Monument itself.
Spire souvenirs could raise millions for city cultural events
Dublin City Council is expected to raise millions of euro from the sale of miniature models of the Spire when the copyright for the structure transfers from the architect to the local authority.
A spokeswoman for the council said yesterday that the copyright was currently with the Spire’s architect, Mr Ian Ritchie, but would be handed over to the council “in a matter of weeks”.
Following suggestions by Mr Ritchie, city authorities are looking to establish a Spire Trust, a committee which would oversee the funds raised from any souvenir tie-ins from the monument, such as postcards, fridge magnets, paper-weights or pens.
The spokeswoman said proceeds from the sale of any such merchandise would be “ring-fenced” to support cultural events in the city.
“The details have not been finalised, but it is expected that people could make submissions for funds from the Spire Trust for an event, and each submission would be viewed on merit,” she said.
Mr Ritchie told The Irish Times he was happy to transfer the copyright but believed it was important that a trust be established.
The architect has indicated to Dublin City Council that he expects to sit on the trust as an honorary life member, along with members of the city council, another architect, representatives from the arts sector and a businessperson from the O’Connell Street area.
“This is something I insisted on right from the start,” he said. “I’ve heard all the arguments about the waste of money, but this means something can accrue to Dublin and Dubliners from the Spire that will be worth millions in the long term.”
All merchandising profits, he added, should go towards community development and charities.
The Spire architect has also suggested that any souvenir items be selected by a design panel, to include either himself or a nominee of his choosing who would serve on the panel as a life member.
The first monies to be forwarded to the trust are likely to come from a film, co-funded by Dublin City Council, on the making of the Spire.
– Not sure of source on this one
There is a poll in Ireland.com today (sunday 26 Jan) asking is the Spire a welcome addition to Dublin.
So far 77% say yes – pretty decisive i would say.Very interesting. This must go down as being the greatest turnaround in public opinion ever.
Considering the last piece was installed last Tuesday, and it was said it would take 7 days to illuminate the tip, does it mean we’ll have it lit in 2 days time? I doubt it somehow…
the view from tallaght , used fjp’s trick with the binoculars …
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