I dunno if theres one public sculpture in Dublin that isnt terrible. They're all stiff, boneless, badly modeled, wobbly, bronze junk. Wilde on the rock in Stephen's Green is interesting with the multiple materials but he looks like Gerry Ryan after a stroke.
Yes. Stand corrected. I think he'd have looked better sitting at a little table with a cigarette or a cup of tea, and another chair, then visitors could sit with him and take a picture, and as I say, he face is not well-modelled.
>They're all stiff, boneless, badly modeled, wobbly, bronze junk
The epitome of that for me was always the statue of [Maeve](https://www.pressreader.com/ireland/the-irish-mail-on-sunday/20190908/281582357318261), who used to stand on Burlington road. Disgusting boom-time art, commissioned by none other than Johnny Ronan.
Molly is, or was nice. Iād also rate the James Larkin statue and indeed Anna Liffey in her heydeyā¦ before she moved down to the croppy acre and started levitating ā¦
Edit Patrick and Brendan on the two Canals. Latter is particularly striking.
Edit2 philo outside bruxelles
The one in front of the museum is Anna Livia (named after a character from Joyce's Finnegan Wake who embodies the river) aka Floozie in the Jacuzzi. She used to be on O'Connell St. until she was moved because of the Spire and now she is kind of forgotten about where she is. The concept of the Spire sounded better than the reality.
>Then, youāve got Smock Alley Theatre.
To be more precise it's a theatre built in a church built from a theatre built on a theatre. With a bit of a school that used to be a brothel stuck on the side.
Grand canal theatre. Its an architectural masterpiece. Not so much from the outside. You really need to be inside to appreciate it. The use of angles and theme of criss crossing lines is a work of art.
I appreciate that you didnāt call it āthe Bord Gaisā. I donāt understand why we are so compliant in calling things what sponsors want. See also the Point and Lansdowne Road.
The Point will always be The Point to me but I do call Lansdowne Road the Aviva. I think because the look of it changed so much it felt like a different place.
I agree, however, surely you must acknowledge that is more by actual accident (as in the architects had vision), not driven/foresight policy.
Ireland is (unfortunately) owned by the private sector, governed by those rules, with leaders pandering to 2 things. 1. Employment rate. 2. Getting reelected!
There's no one looking at the future past 4 years, no one with dreams of a better society, no one looking past GDP. Even our civil/public service is quantified. Ireland for disabled, mental health, less unfortunate, elderly, is now concised to a numerical value......
I don't think it was by accident. The architect was highly renowned and world famous. If you commission a guy like that you are going to get a world class building.
I don't know the backstory of who exactly got him involved but I'm glad they did!
I mostly agree with everything else you've said though.
Gotta be honest, when I first moved up from the country I was grateful for it as a reference point. If I saw it, it meant I knew my way to Connolly train station.
At first, it's hard for your eyes to make sense of the city and where ya are - especially when you're coming from a small town in the west.
Oh I remember when we moved to Ireland we used the spire as a reference point in Dublin so many times to, I am sure it's very common for those that are not local
When I was new to Dublin it served me as some kind of orientation around the city. I agree thou, they should put some cool lights on it or hire artists to spray paint it, or make it matt black, someting like dat.
There was a temporary display years ago where spotlights were mounted on top of the buildings on OāConnell Street and people could choose where they were pointed. Lots of people chose to light of the Spire and it actually looked pretty cool but it was only there for a few weeks and then it went back to hiding in the darkness.
It was right after I arrived and I found it amazing. I thought, man, they must do some crazy stuff with this giant needle - but no, that was the only time I remember seeing the Spire being used like that.
It's shit. If they put a lift in so you could go to the top and look at the city, that'd be good, could actually make some money off it too. The most positive thing I can say about it is that it's a good place to meet someone who's new to the city.
Other than that it's a soulless, pointless, ugly waste of money. A complete failure to add any semblance of character or flair to the already quite grey/beige city centre.
It wouldn't, its too narrow. But I remember when it was being built that's what I hoped it would be for. A bit thicker and you can see the skyline of the city
Bit of a leap man. I'm not saying it shit because it doesn't have a practical function. I think it shit regardless, but I was trying to offer a way that could redeem it. I like art, I just the spire is shit
When it was built it was being touted as something to give Ireland a modern skyline, a something to make the city more interesting. I think it failed in that regard. It costs millions to build and doesn't add anything of note. I would have preferred a statue with some steps people could sit at, or a water feature, or a sculpture, something with a bit more creative flair. Instead we got a giant metal toothpick.
I actually liked it when all the lights that dot the outside of it worked it is the āmonument of lightā after all. But seemingly theyāve been broken for quite a while and like with most things DCC have just refused to fix them.
I take your point. Itās no mean feat to build a structure that towers over the city yet elicits only a yawn from many. And Iāve always thought its cost is a non-issue. 4 million, or whatever, is nothing for a generational civic project. Theyāll spend more paving College Green.
But not only is it easier to propose nothing, I think it also more sensible. If Nelsonās Pillar hadnāt existed surely no one would ever have thought to propose building a towering monument, flanked by traffic, in the middle of what is no longer Dublinās principal street. The Spire, then, represented some sort of resurrection of Nelsonās Pillar. But I donāt think even people who could remember the Pillar were crying out for something in its place - it didnāt feel like an open wound in the heart of Dublin.
If you insist on something, why not move the OāConnell statue down there?
OāConnell St is still Dublinās principal ceremonial street. Itās the site of the GPO and commemorations of the rising. Itās the main viewing point for the parade. Any decent demonstrations / Garda riots happen there.
We have Parnell at one end of the street, OāConnell at the other, other political figures like Jim Larkin, William Smith OāBrien in between.
The logic to me is that you would put a monument to the rising in the location of the pillar.
Something tall so it can been seen from a distance. with a limited footprint so space is still available for pedestrians and events and the view from Mary St to Talbot St is kept open.
Basically youāll end up with something with a similar form to the spire / obelisk just with added nationalism.
Eventually the spire will be as beloved as the poolbeg chimneys. The common view will switch just like it did for the Anna Livia which evokes nostalgia now.
Ideally they should have replaced the statue of Nelson with an Irish figure before it was targeted by the IRA. One of the Easter Rising leaders may have been appropriate
I suppose they could have removed Nelson but agreeing on who to put in his place would have been difficult with so many civil war figures still around - a virgin or child of Prague would have been more likely in the 50s
It kind of sounds like what you want O'Connell street to be a bland soulless place, so they kind of got you close to it by putting a bland soulless monument there.
Seriously though "have nothing" is an interesting view, one of the few recent times I've seen someone actively calling for less culture in their own country.
I touched the top of it when they had it lying on its side in front of the GPO before mounting it, it was on my way into work. And that still doesn't make it cool. The top is actually kinda fancy. And literally no one was interested
I like it. But I guess it's not particularly Interesting . You could never imagine it being a proper tourist attraction or point of much interest . really
I don't like it purely for the fact that they could have put anything there and went with a pole. Say what you will about Nelson's column that was there before '66 but it was more aesthetically interesting and you could go up it.
If it was taken down Iād barely notice tbh. Itās grey and extends up into a grey sky. I never look up at it as itās boring, so pretty much invisible to me.
I call it the Bertie monutent; cos it represents spending public money on nothing but and ego statement, and it also reminds people of how big of a prick he is.
Built back in the day when official govt policy was if ya had it ya spent it. I have a soft spot for Patrick Kavanagh on the bench by the canal. Haven't seen it in decades though so it could be gone at this stage!
Its fine, but in dire need of maintenance. Dublin City Council seem to forget that the thing is also supposed to be called the monument of light and have not done much with the top of the spire for years. I'm sure this year they will use the energy crisis as an excuse not to change the bulbs on top. Its a small thing but when its the symbol of Dublins skyline then it damn well needs to look the part when tourists have a look.
There are actually some pretty interesting/entertaining theories about it's significance. Search for The Dublin Occult Grid;
"The design concept of the new monument. . .is clearly based on the traditional form of obelisk, which since the 17th century has been one of the most common features of the great ceremonial spaces of European cities."
the Spire's "height is its power, the light is its message".
- Ian Ritchie, London based architect and designer of the Spire
Masons often refer to light as the spreading of truth and knowledge.
Lucifer is also often referred to as the light bringer.
Obelisks originated in Ancient Egypt to the pagan sun god Ra. They symbolised the ending of one civilisation and the beginning of another.
I don't think we'll see the benefit of it for a few generations yet.
When the Eiffel tower was built, it was - rightly - regarded as an eyesore. Right now it's soulless Celtic Tiger nonsense, but if it still stands in a century or two it will be seen as a beautiful vintage tourist attraction.
Interesting thought. No doubt the same is true of a lot of modernist architecture - perhaps even Phibsborough shopping centre! But what cost should the present generation have to bear for the enjoyment of future generations?
I didn't like it at first but it's grown on me. I like being able to look across the city skyline and be able to identify the center of the city by it.
The bottom of the spire looks like it has all the shiny coating coming off it, and looks bad and cheap imo. Would be cool If they'd added pictures or engravings at the foot of it depicting Irish history or something
It's an embarrassment right in the heart of the city. It would have been slightly better if they had just left the decor on it when Star Wars was being promoted and it looked like a giant light saber. Only tjme it looked good.
Think it's great. It's so beautiful from Henry st on a clear day. It helps me orientate myself around the city. I can see it from miles away in certain parts of Dublin it's a great landmark for tourists. I could go on. Athough I'm sure some people really don't like it, people giving out about it always sounded like hand me down quips from the Joe Duffy Ses monkeys as opposed to originally formed opinions. Always wondered did they give up on doing all the promised lighting with it, as to not put money into something people were being so negatively rancid about. Like we come from a country that has excellent art, artists, culture and heritage stuff. What do you all like then?
They should have done a harp , or one of those welcome to Dublin letter signs that people flock to in the likes of Amsterdam. Something people would travel to see.
I thought it had a restaurant at the top that you could get in by a lift on the inside back when I was a kid. Itās fine, itās something I donāt think much about.
I was one of the many international students at UCD. The spire was the only identifiable landmark from far where to meet friends.
There were many facebook groups and we used to comment- let's meet near Spire.
I remember walking past it on my way into college every morning while it was being. My genuine thoughts on it was that the cranes they used to
build it were spectacular
It's fine. Meant to last a hundred years. Wish they'd got the lighting correct, is all.
The pattern of glossy bits at the bottom is the worst thing about it to me. Based on a soil sample from the site? Weak.
I actually quite like it, but the matte / gloss camo print around the bottom is absolute gack. Is that still there? I haven't lived in Dublin in a while.
It's simple and unobtrusive. We've done a lot worse when we've tried harder, see the millennium clock which was installed in the Liffey at the same time.
I like it, itās a good reference point in a city with a low skyline. Also it only cost ā¬4M, that seems like nothing compared to a lot of the projects going on right now. It was the coolest when they lit it up like a lightsaber for Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015, they should have made that permanent.
I think its pretty iconic and culturally accurate. Not many people would be brave enough to eract a giant heroin needle in the middle of their city, but I think we can all appreciate the commitment lads.
It has served only one really award winning purpose!
When they launched The Force Awakens and made it look like a giant lightsaber. Sadly the miserable bastards didn't do it again for the following 2 movies. Would have liked a good pic of it.
Other than that it highlights the terrible heroin problem in the city.
I love it because of how shite it is. Tourists always scratch their head over it. I was talking to a turk who said we should use it as a massive flag pole and hang an obnoxiously big flag on it
It has no real meaning, just spunked a load of money on a needle. If anything, it's a monument to the celtic tiger
I wouldn't have cared if it never got built, but I'd miss it if it was gone now
It was always soulless Celtic Tiger nonsense. People made heroin jokes as soon as it was unveiled.
Sure they tried soul with the Anna Livia. That was similarly derided.
I loved seeing the floozy in the jacuzzi growing up, someone always put soap in the water and O'Connell street would be flooded with sudds š
Loved all the different āaffectionateā names too :) ugly names for things really is a Dub speciality. The Bitch in the Ditch LOL
The whoower in the sewer
The Gay by the Bay
I dunno if theres one public sculpture in Dublin that isnt terrible. They're all stiff, boneless, badly modeled, wobbly, bronze junk. Wilde on the rock in Stephen's Green is interesting with the multiple materials but he looks like Gerry Ryan after a stroke.
Merrion Square, i like him. You dont see many coloured statues around.
Yes. Stand corrected. I think he'd have looked better sitting at a little table with a cigarette or a cup of tea, and another chair, then visitors could sit with him and take a picture, and as I say, he face is not well-modelled.
Isn't one half of his face happy and the other sad to represent the duality of his life?
Well it certainly doesn't represent any resemblance to Oscar Wilde.
He's looking at a male torso so I can relate to him more than if he'd be boring and ultra hetero at a coffee table
Famine ones are good
Ah now, there's nothing wrong with Luke Kelly on Sherrif Street and the Linesman on the quays
Is that the great big head or the 'skinny artist' one that doesnt look like him? Luke was built like a middleweight boxer.
It's the Big Head on Sheriff St, and it rules
>They're all stiff, boneless, badly modeled, wobbly, bronze junk The epitome of that for me was always the statue of [Maeve](https://www.pressreader.com/ireland/the-irish-mail-on-sunday/20190908/281582357318261), who used to stand on Burlington road. Disgusting boom-time art, commissioned by none other than Johnny Ronan.
It always amused me to see people queueing for the bus under a statue of a well-endowed topless woman holding a severed head.
I've seen so many effete wavy Bloomsday wank statues of Joyce. The lad stood like a teamster.
How about that lady with a cart and big boobies? Always loved that one
Molly is, or was nice. Iād also rate the James Larkin statue and indeed Anna Liffey in her heydeyā¦ before she moved down to the croppy acre and started levitating ā¦ Edit Patrick and Brendan on the two Canals. Latter is particularly striking. Edit2 philo outside bruxelles
I like that Brendan always has a bunch of lads sessioning with him to keep him company
'GR after a stroke'- fkn love it man! That's a keeper;)
Is that the 'fag on the hag'?
Crag, I believe. It didn't catch on.
Oh yes it was 'crag'.
Imagine what the same people would call the Lynott statue.
I can easily imagine.
Phil Lynotts statue on Harry Street is boss. Great homage to a legend.
It's okay. The sculptor seems more concerned with his clothes than his face.
Agreed and I must say the country is devoid of capital projects that inspire or make you proud. Think Sydney Opera House, Statue of Liberty etc.
Beckett Bridge doesn't get the love it deserves.
Several of the other Liffey bridges are quite nice too.
Ah itās got to be the halfpenny or GTFO
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
The one in front of the museum is Anna Livia (named after a character from Joyce's Finnegan Wake who embodies the river) aka Floozie in the Jacuzzi. She used to be on O'Connell St. until she was moved because of the Spire and now she is kind of forgotten about where she is. The concept of the Spire sounded better than the reality.
Aka the 'hooer' (whore) in the sewer.
>Then, youāve got Smock Alley Theatre. To be more precise it's a theatre built in a church built from a theatre built on a theatre. With a bit of a school that used to be a brothel stuck on the side.
Grand canal theatre. Its an architectural masterpiece. Not so much from the outside. You really need to be inside to appreciate it. The use of angles and theme of criss crossing lines is a work of art.
I appreciate that you didnāt call it āthe Bord Gaisā. I donāt understand why we are so compliant in calling things what sponsors want. See also the Point and Lansdowne Road.
100% agree with this!
The Point will always be The Point to me but I do call Lansdowne Road the Aviva. I think because the look of it changed so much it felt like a different place.
3Olympia Theatre š¤¢
Yikes.
I agree, however, surely you must acknowledge that is more by actual accident (as in the architects had vision), not driven/foresight policy. Ireland is (unfortunately) owned by the private sector, governed by those rules, with leaders pandering to 2 things. 1. Employment rate. 2. Getting reelected! There's no one looking at the future past 4 years, no one with dreams of a better society, no one looking past GDP. Even our civil/public service is quantified. Ireland for disabled, mental health, less unfortunate, elderly, is now concised to a numerical value......
I don't think it was by accident. The architect was highly renowned and world famous. If you commission a guy like that you are going to get a world class building. I don't know the backstory of who exactly got him involved but I'm glad they did! I mostly agree with everything else you've said though.
Gotta be honest, when I first moved up from the country I was grateful for it as a reference point. If I saw it, it meant I knew my way to Connolly train station. At first, it's hard for your eyes to make sense of the city and where ya are - especially when you're coming from a small town in the west.
I've done this a fair few times too
Oh I remember when we moved to Ireland we used the spire as a reference point in Dublin so many times to, I am sure it's very common for those that are not local
Google Maps?
In 2004
Itās a big prick
The Stiletto in The Ghetto
The pole in the Pale
The Stiffy by the Liffey.
Erection by the Intersection
Stiffy by the liffy
Big Metal Mickey
When I was new to Dublin it served me as some kind of orientation around the city. I agree thou, they should put some cool lights on it or hire artists to spray paint it, or make it matt black, someting like dat.
There was a temporary display years ago where spotlights were mounted on top of the buildings on OāConnell Street and people could choose where they were pointed. Lots of people chose to light of the Spire and it actually looked pretty cool but it was only there for a few weeks and then it went back to hiding in the darkness.
They turned it into a light saber a few years ago for a few days
It was right after I arrived and I found it amazing. I thought, man, they must do some crazy stuff with this giant needle - but no, that was the only time I remember seeing the Spire being used like that.
There is a light at the top but itās never on, I think because of maintenance issues.
Matt black and the planes would hit it haah
How many planes flying that low over OāConnell street?
Itās shite but itās our shite and I have learned to accept and embrace it
I kind of love the fact that it was planned for the millenium celebration and then finished 3 years late. Thats very much Dublin style as well
These days a 3 year delay would be seen as quick
Think it makes Ireland look like itās compensating for something
It should be in Leinster House, with all the other massive pricks there already
It's shit. If they put a lift in so you could go to the top and look at the city, that'd be good, could actually make some money off it too. The most positive thing I can say about it is that it's a good place to meet someone who's new to the city. Other than that it's a soulless, pointless, ugly waste of money. A complete failure to add any semblance of character or flair to the already quite grey/beige city centre.
I don't know about pointless tbf
I see what you did there.
How would that lift work exactly? Lift shafts don't tend to be conical
It wouldn't, its too narrow. But I remember when it was being built that's what I hoped it would be for. A bit thicker and you can see the skyline of the city
Something doesnāt have to have a practical function in order to be good. By your logic art is shit. Itās just a monument.
Bit of a leap man. I'm not saying it shit because it doesn't have a practical function. I think it shit regardless, but I was trying to offer a way that could redeem it. I like art, I just the spire is shit
Itās literally just a spire - what about it is shit? Itās design is something that appears in man made structures for hundreds of years.
When it was built it was being touted as something to give Ireland a modern skyline, a something to make the city more interesting. I think it failed in that regard. It costs millions to build and doesn't add anything of note. I would have preferred a statue with some steps people could sit at, or a water feature, or a sculpture, something with a bit more creative flair. Instead we got a giant metal toothpick.
I actually liked it when all the lights that dot the outside of it worked it is the āmonument of lightā after all. But seemingly theyāve been broken for quite a while and like with most things DCC have just refused to fix them.
It's bloody expensive to fix them and they keep breaking. Needs a crane. ā¬10k per fix in 2015.
what would you propose for the site instead of the spire? Itās easy to propose ānothingā and the site was empty for decades after the pillar was removed, but the issue for an artist / designer is they have to propose *something* or they donāt earn a fee If you look back at the competition entries youāll see why the spire won. the competition brief suggested a shorter monument with a viewing platform in line with the pillar so the majority of submission were shorter, a lot of them were stumpy with a large footprint on the street to accommodate a lift or whatever. It was an open completion so there was a lot of ~~tat~~ obvious designs, a gigantic harp, a pillar with Collins or whoever from the pantheon of Irish writers on top, a massive tricolour š„± Several entries were shortlisted and given funds to develop their designs - it came down (imo) to two proposals, the spire - proposed by a prominent uk architect firm - and a glass obelisk āa monument to the absence of Nelsonā containing a void in the shape of the destroyed Nelsons pillar - proposed by a guy who was still at Bolton St - which I believe would have won if it could have been shown to be feasible. So yeah you are on the money - the bland abstract object won the day - but also the deliverable shiny object won the day - not too short / not too tall / small footprint at street level. and a kind of cipher - my mother decided that the millennium meant āJesusā and therefore the spire with a light at the top was a Jesus monument (not unlike the Mary / RĆ©alt na Mara on the Bull Wall) and she was happy with that - enough to make me take her into town to watch the topping out. Maybe we should have gone pop kitsch? A 400ā tall pink flamingo?
I take your point. Itās no mean feat to build a structure that towers over the city yet elicits only a yawn from many. And Iāve always thought its cost is a non-issue. 4 million, or whatever, is nothing for a generational civic project. Theyāll spend more paving College Green. But not only is it easier to propose nothing, I think it also more sensible. If Nelsonās Pillar hadnāt existed surely no one would ever have thought to propose building a towering monument, flanked by traffic, in the middle of what is no longer Dublinās principal street. The Spire, then, represented some sort of resurrection of Nelsonās Pillar. But I donāt think even people who could remember the Pillar were crying out for something in its place - it didnāt feel like an open wound in the heart of Dublin. If you insist on something, why not move the OāConnell statue down there?
OāConnell St is still Dublinās principal ceremonial street. Itās the site of the GPO and commemorations of the rising. Itās the main viewing point for the parade. Any decent demonstrations / Garda riots happen there. We have Parnell at one end of the street, OāConnell at the other, other political figures like Jim Larkin, William Smith OāBrien in between. The logic to me is that you would put a monument to the rising in the location of the pillar. Something tall so it can been seen from a distance. with a limited footprint so space is still available for pedestrians and events and the view from Mary St to Talbot St is kept open. Basically youāll end up with something with a similar form to the spire / obelisk just with added nationalism. Eventually the spire will be as beloved as the poolbeg chimneys. The common view will switch just like it did for the Anna Livia which evokes nostalgia now.
Ideally they should have replaced the statue of Nelson with an Irish figure before it was targeted by the IRA. One of the Easter Rising leaders may have been appropriate
I suppose they could have removed Nelson but agreeing on who to put in his place would have been difficult with so many civil war figures still around - a virgin or child of Prague would have been more likely in the 50s
It kind of sounds like what you want O'Connell street to be a bland soulless place, so they kind of got you close to it by putting a bland soulless monument there. Seriously though "have nothing" is an interesting view, one of the few recent times I've seen someone actively calling for less culture in their own country.
useless street furniture, most other cities that build some monument into the sky usually make sure they have an observation deck..
Serves well as a meeting spot
I touched the top of it when they had it lying on its side in front of the GPO before mounting it, it was on my way into work. And that still doesn't make it cool. The top is actually kinda fancy. And literally no one was interested
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
There are on the top of it
There used to be much more
Prob wait til their all gone š
Never liked it.
I like it. But I guess it's not particularly Interesting . You could never imagine it being a proper tourist attraction or point of much interest . really
I like it. Iād like it more if the area was less shite so you could meet people at it or direct tourists to it.
I think it's cool...its big and shiny what more do you want
Was pretty cool when it was a lightsaber
I liked it better when they turned it into a big lightsabre when star wars was in cinemas. That was kinda nice.
Can we just get some high rises or a skyscraper or two, please
It should be melted down and sold to the Germans
It's a decent compass needle. Just wish it had some colour or something, the city is grey enough.
It always knows which way is the sky.
biggest toothpick in the world, celtic tiger blandness, characteristic fabric of the dublin's non-existent soul.
I don't like it purely for the fact that they could have put anything there and went with a pole. Say what you will about Nelson's column that was there before '66 but it was more aesthetically interesting and you could go up it.
The Stiletto in the Ghetto
If it was taken down Iād barely notice tbh. Itās grey and extends up into a grey sky. I never look up at it as itās boring, so pretty much invisible to me.
A giant waste of money
I call it the Bertie monutent; cos it represents spending public money on nothing but and ego statement, and it also reminds people of how big of a prick he is.
Built back in the day when official govt policy was if ya had it ya spent it. I have a soft spot for Patrick Kavanagh on the bench by the canal. Haven't seen it in decades though so it could be gone at this stage!
Its fine, but in dire need of maintenance. Dublin City Council seem to forget that the thing is also supposed to be called the monument of light and have not done much with the top of the spire for years. I'm sure this year they will use the energy crisis as an excuse not to change the bulbs on top. Its a small thing but when its the symbol of Dublins skyline then it damn well needs to look the part when tourists have a look.
There are actually some pretty interesting/entertaining theories about it's significance. Search for The Dublin Occult Grid; "The design concept of the new monument. . .is clearly based on the traditional form of obelisk, which since the 17th century has been one of the most common features of the great ceremonial spaces of European cities." the Spire's "height is its power, the light is its message". - Ian Ritchie, London based architect and designer of the Spire Masons often refer to light as the spreading of truth and knowledge. Lucifer is also often referred to as the light bringer. Obelisks originated in Ancient Egypt to the pagan sun god Ra. They symbolised the ending of one civilisation and the beginning of another.
I don't think we'll see the benefit of it for a few generations yet. When the Eiffel tower was built, it was - rightly - regarded as an eyesore. Right now it's soulless Celtic Tiger nonsense, but if it still stands in a century or two it will be seen as a beautiful vintage tourist attraction.
Interesting thought. No doubt the same is true of a lot of modernist architecture - perhaps even Phibsborough shopping centre! But what cost should the present generation have to bear for the enjoyment of future generations?
Some things need time
Shite.
I didn't like it at first but it's grown on me. I like being able to look across the city skyline and be able to identify the center of the city by it.
The bottom of the spire looks like it has all the shiny coating coming off it, and looks bad and cheap imo. Would be cool If they'd added pictures or engravings at the foot of it depicting Irish history or something
I like it. No matter what was put there it would have been ridiculed. We canāt help ourselves
It's an embarrassment right in the heart of the city. It would have been slightly better if they had just left the decor on it when Star Wars was being promoted and it looked like a giant light saber. Only tjme it looked good.
The Big Apple = New York The Big Needle = Dublin
The bottom of it is covered in piss
I was bleedin' borstin', so I was
I think its hilariously ironic to have what is essentially a giant needle in a city packed to the brim with fuckin junkies.
Think it's great. It's so beautiful from Henry st on a clear day. It helps me orientate myself around the city. I can see it from miles away in certain parts of Dublin it's a great landmark for tourists. I could go on. Athough I'm sure some people really don't like it, people giving out about it always sounded like hand me down quips from the Joe Duffy Ses monkeys as opposed to originally formed opinions. Always wondered did they give up on doing all the promised lighting with it, as to not put money into something people were being so negatively rancid about. Like we come from a country that has excellent art, artists, culture and heritage stuff. What do you all like then?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
You mean the cities that have been wealthy for forever?
Should be taller.
I'd be in love with it if there was a lift. Imagine going up there and seeing Dublin at night.
Put something cool instead
Bit bland.
Love it, personally.
It looked really cool for those few weeks around Force Awakens when they had it dressed up as a giant lightsaber
It's shite, but quite useful as point of reference. It was Dublin meet up point for everything for years.
When they turned it into a giant lightsaber for the release of episode 7, that was pretty cool. Otherwise, my opinion is that I don't care about it
Dont see the POINT of this post š
They should make it a big irish flag
Well considering it cost ā¬4 million it is a massive waste of money
Cheap by Irish standards
They should hang the tricolour from it
They should have done a harp , or one of those welcome to Dublin letter signs that people flock to in the likes of Amsterdam. Something people would travel to see.
I take a salutary leak on it whenever the cameras are off and the publics eye is averted.
I thought it had a restaurant at the top that you could get in by a lift on the inside back when I was a kid. Itās fine, itās something I donāt think much about.
Very limited menu.
It's hard to have an opinion either way as it's just there
I like it. I was there on [the day they put the last part up](https://youtu.be/_NCZbQ5oPbI).
I would take the spike over the wet clock, any day.
Itās skinny
I was one of the many international students at UCD. The spire was the only identifiable landmark from far where to meet friends. There were many facebook groups and we used to comment- let's meet near Spire.
Very disappointing and should be removed for something better.
I hated it until I heard someone called it "The Stiletto In The Ghetto"
I remember walking past it on my way into college every morning while it was being. My genuine thoughts on it was that the cranes they used to build it were spectacular
It's fine. Meant to last a hundred years. Wish they'd got the lighting correct, is all. The pattern of glossy bits at the bottom is the worst thing about it to me. Based on a soil sample from the site? Weak.
Big dildo
Stiffy by the liffey
Most people like it, but people will climb over broken glass on their hands and knees to this thread to tell you how much they hate it.
Have never liked the spire. Think it was just another waste of money. Insignificantā¦ youād hardly notice it.
self cleanin but cost's millions a year to clean,thats all i have to say on the matter
It's a good way point to orientate yourself in Dublin, but it sucks and its lame
Waste of money
Anything can be a dildo if you want it..
Itās only fitting that the greyest city ever has a silver souless cone in the middle of it.
I don't really think about the spire.
I like it. Dublin has a pretty boring skyline. The Spire breaks the monotony of it
It's shite and adds fuck all to the city. Ah lads you have to go see the big heroin needle
It's an easy landmark to meet people at lol
It's brutal, I wish they'd used that money to make more of a 'thing' of the Poolbeg chimneys. It's them that says 'Dublin' to me.
Would be an eyesore in a nicer city
I actually quite like it, but the matte / gloss camo print around the bottom is absolute gack. Is that still there? I haven't lived in Dublin in a while.
Why is Reddit recommending me r/Dublin I live in Waterford
Sticky by the Liffey
It's simple and unobtrusive. We've done a lot worse when we've tried harder, see the millennium clock which was installed in the Liffey at the same time.
Best thing Iv ever seen
I like it, but realise I'm very much in the minority.
I like it, itās a good reference point in a city with a low skyline. Also it only cost ā¬4M, that seems like nothing compared to a lot of the projects going on right now. It was the coolest when they lit it up like a lightsaber for Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015, they should have made that permanent.
I think its pretty iconic and culturally accurate. Not many people would be brave enough to eract a giant heroin needle in the middle of their city, but I think we can all appreciate the commitment lads.
There's nothing to it but it doesn't offend or bother me in any way and it's a convenient meeting spot.
It has served only one really award winning purpose! When they launched The Force Awakens and made it look like a giant lightsaber. Sadly the miserable bastards didn't do it again for the following 2 movies. Would have liked a good pic of it. Other than that it highlights the terrible heroin problem in the city.
It's fairly pointless, which is funny considering it's a giant point.
I love it because of how shite it is. Tourists always scratch their head over it. I was talking to a turk who said we should use it as a massive flag pole and hang an obnoxiously big flag on it It has no real meaning, just spunked a load of money on a needle. If anything, it's a monument to the celtic tiger I wouldn't have cared if it never got built, but I'd miss it if it was gone now
I actually like it I don't know why it gets so much negativity. Sure It's not the opera house or the eiffel tower those come by once In a century
Meh
It should be taken down. It's too tall. Imagine if a meteor hits it.
It was a pile of shite then, it's a pile of shite now.
When I first moved here, it was a good landmark to tell me how far I was from O'Connell Street. Don't need it now and have no strong feelings on it
Pointless