Liberty news

Councillors feel Spire is dire

By Ray Foley

The Millennium Spire has been the subject of much debate in the past few months and it appears that local councillors are among those who are against the idea.

Last November, London architect Ian Ritchie won the Corporation-sponsored competition to design a monument on the old site of Nelson’s Pillar in O’Connell Street. His entry took the form of a 230- metre-high needle with a light at its peak. It will cost £3 million to construct.

Since then, the plans have been brought before Dublin City Council, where the project was given the go-ahead with a 34 to 14 vote commending the structure which has been variously named ‘The Spike in the Dyke’, ‘The Stiletto in the Ghetto’, and ‘The Jab in the Slab’.

In spite of the majority vote, there is still bad feeling among local councillors towards the project. Cllr Dermot Lacey was particularly damning. "I was anxious to express an objective opinion, but I can't like the thing. We were given one option, and it was a tacky one. The nature of modern stuff is that it has no staying power - it doesn't have any context after a while. I hate to say it, but it's pointless."

Councillor and former Lord Mayor Brendan Lynch is not impressed with ‘The Lampstand in Clampland’ either. "It has no character. Nelson’s pillar suited the style of O’Connell St, but this is just sad. A statue of Padraig Pearse would have been more fitting outside the GPO."

However, not all councillors were against the plan of the Millennium Spire. Ciarán Cuffe thought it was a bright idea. "The ‘Light in the Night’ might be a good name for it. It’s spearheading the modern movement against tackiness. It’s a great idea, and a good way of leaving one millennium for another.

"The council has £250 million to spend on the city and this £3 million is a great step in the renewal of O’Connell Street. It’ll be a beacon into the next century."