The Spike
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six hundred and ninety nine … 700!
Its a load of *&^%$£ that they couldn’t get it together and have the official unveiling as part of the paddy’s day festival, they’ve had over a month to sort out the lighting, it would have really added to the weekend, ah well another opportunity lost i guess…
If the Spire ever makes it into the record books, it won’t be for Tallest Sculpture… How about Most Deadlines Missed: The Millennium, Christmas/ New Year 2002/3, and now Paddy’s Day.
As a patient Dub, who’s been watching this project crawl along at a snail’s pace since it was given the go-ahead, I for one won’t be standing in the rain and clapping when they finally switch the fecking thing on circa 3003.
Grrr.Waheyyyy!!!
The lighting within the tip was turned on for the first time this evening!
Ok, it wasn’t quite in the tip but the clump of LEDs were being hauled up via the internal pully system to the top, switched on as it was happening.It was 6:30 when I was there, and the dazzlingly bright pure piercing white light was eminating from the joins of the 20m sections as it was being moved up inside.
In theory then, they should be up and operational by Monday, despite the absence of external floodlighting.
In theory…
I agree, the bollards do look wierd not completely encircling the base.
I must say it looks great with even the bit of light that’s on. It really transforms the whole thing.
its still there about half way up … really bright !
I passed the spike around 6:30, and there was light shing out around the halfway mark.
I passed again later, and the light was still at the halfway point, but it was joined by a cluster at the very top.
Fantastic!
James
passed the spike this morning. the work at base level is coming along. the hoardings are beginning to come down. will have to put in a huge effort in the next day or so to complete it by Monday.
Any chance of some photo’s of the latest developments?
Has there been any official word from Dublin Council about a ‘launch date’? (Images of Spire hurlting through the sky go through my mind!)after a stint of 7 weeks in Texas I am really looking forward to finally seeing it erect. A pint and a gawk at the Spike before the crassness of Patricks Day celebrations kicks in. Begorrah
The middle light is an intermediate aviation light and will be a permanent feature.
Thus, there will eventually be the red aviation light at the tip, ten metres of white light below and then half way down, another light.
At least, that’s what the project managers are now saying.What!!! Having the light half way down will/does just look ludicrous! Since when do tall structures require lighting up along their profiles? This will utterly destroy the effect created by it’s nightime illumination/floodlighting. And the red aviation light, will this be visible from street level? Why isn’t the LED white light sufficient? If you can’t see that from a plane, what the bloody hell can you? This is terrible!
Annnnyway, there’s a half hour feature programme about Nelson’s Pillar and the Spire, and the controversies surrounding them etc on RTE One tommorrow evening (Patrick’s Day) at
7 o’clock entitled ‘Tale Tales’, a Townlands special.Expect lots of sentimental rose-tintedness and talking heads…
completely agree graham, the light in the middle will look rediculous & i dont see why they need to keep the aviation light when the top twelve metres will be light … the chimneys at poolbeg are taller than the spire and have no middle light …
That programme on the Pillar and the Spike last night was fascinating…..”Tall Tales” RTE1, but whoever didn’t see it, missed out big time!
What was so pronounced in the story was how public monuments provoke such controversy.
O’Connell St. looked spectacular also pre-blow-up-nelson-days.
The Metropole looked fantastic. No Fingal Co.Co. Offices either – just decorative victorian buildings. Mingin take aways were missing. It really seemed to be a boulevard lost in time…True.
I noticed the Metropole and Capitol cinemas too, they complimented the GPO so well. Gilbeys, once Dublin’s finest Victorian bldg was also also evident, it’s successor being the Fingal Offices, not even deserving of the capitals I’ve given them.fingal offices
Ah, thats better.
“That programme on the Pillar and the Spike last night was fascinating”
It was indeed, – how much has changed since 1966 on O’Connell St esp the Parnell St end. Another one that would have been there then was Findlaters.
By the way where else in Europe would you find long term empty sites, such as on O’Connell St and Parnell Sq?
So that ugly bright white light half way up is permanent and the uglier red aviation light is also staying? Surely not!!!!!!
I believe the story is that the architectural light at the top was tried out last week and found not to be up to scratch. Dublin city council engineers weren’t happy with it. So, more tweaking. Some dark bands, in particular, have to be removed.
The light half way up, an intermediate light, is for aviation purposes. This needs to be tilted up so that the majority of the light points to the sky.
It’s going to be 10-12 weeks before the work around the base is finished, and the permanent granite platform set into place. There’s no urgency from a city council point of view to launch it, so it seems to me like we’re looking at a July/August timetable for an official opening. The plastic should come off the base a lot sooner, though.
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