The Spire

The Spire heißt mit richtigem Namen eigentlich
«The Monument of the Light», auf irisch: An Túr Solais.
Sie steht ungefähr in der Mitte der sehr langen O‘Connell Street,
ungefähr da, wo die die Säule mit dem englischen Admiral
Nelson stand, bis sie 1966 von einem IRA-​Kommando
gesprengt wurde.
Es mag hier nicht hergehören, aber in diesem
Zusammenhang kann ich es mir nicht verkneifen, auf einen
sich ständig wiederholenden Fehler hinzuweisen. Die IRA
von heute ist nicht die Irisch Republikanische Armee
aus dem Unabhängigkeitskrieg gegen die Briten. Die
wurde nämlich in die reguläre irische Armee überführt.
Immer wenn von der heutigen IRA die Rede ist, handelt es
sich um eine Neugründung. Der eigentliche Name dieser
Gruppierung, den sie sich selbst gab, lautet PIRA
(Provisional Irish Republican Army).
Die Spire ist eine Säule aus Edelstahl, an die 123
Meter hoch. Sie ist damit die höchste Skulptur der Welt.
An ihrem Fuß misst diese Säule drei Meter im Durchmesser.
An ihrer nachts beleuchteten Spitze beträgt der Durchmesser
ca. 15 Zentimeter. Das Gewicht der Säule beträgt 126 Tonnen.
Eigentlich sollte die Säule bis zu Milleniumsfeier fertig sein.
Sie wurde aber erst im Jahre 2003 fertiggestellt. Die Kosten
beliefen sich auf ca. 4 Millionen Euro.
Sehr viele Dubliner, denen die Säule sowieso nicht gefiel,
waren nicht damit einverstanden, soviel Geld für ein nutzloses
Stahlmonument auszugeben.
Nun ist Dublin eine sehr kosmopolitische Stadt, gleichzeitig
aber auch zutiefst irisch. Und auch das haben sehr viele
Dubliner an The Spire zu kritisieren, dass ihr jegliche «Irishness»
fehlt. Diesem Urteil schließe ich mich mit aller Überzeugung an.
Auch für dieses Monument haben die Dubliner ihre ganz eigene
Bezeichnung. Die Harmlosere heißt Stiletto in the Ghetto.
Das braucht nicht übersetzt zu werden. Die anrüchige Bezeichnung
lautet: The Stiffy at the Liffey. Diese Namensgebung zu übersetzen,
das verbietet der Anstand. Sie könnte als obszön angesehen werden.

Lors de mon séjour à l’ère du Tigre celtique, donc juste avant la crise, le Spire était notre point de ralliement avec ma soeur au pair dans la ville et mon frère. Nous né devions pas être les seuls à considérer ce pic à glacé géant ayant cet usage social. Est — ce — que l’œuvre d’art possède d’autres fonctions, je né sais guère. mais il trôné en plein dans cette capitale européenne redevenue en 2016, une plaque tournante, un El Dorado pour moult expatriés.

Dublin icon. Hard to imagine O’Connell Street without it. Good for orienting yourself if you’re unfamiliar with the city (ie a tourist).
Can get some really impressive photos if you catch the Sun setting in just the right time so it’s reflecting of the Spire down Talbot or Henry Street.
Otherwise, not much more to it. Grab a selfie and move on.

As a tourist attraction its not great. It doesn’t do anything, has no interesting history, and is not aesthetically impressive. Tourists can skip this one. If you live in Dublin, it’s a handy landmark. It’s also perfect for promoting Star Wars.

Un monument pour le moins original situé en plein coeur de Dublin, à un carrefour très fréquenté. Impressionnant à regarder, mais vide en émotion.

We heard that it cost a cool four million. We heard that the tip would appear to vibrate against the sky if we stood at the base and hugged it close. We heard that it’s called the stiffy on the Liffey.
We like stories so we walked down O’Connell Street to meet The Spire.
I like taking advice from taxi drivers. Perhaps it’s the tuned mass damper, perhaps it’s because we didn’t believe hard enough, or perhaps it’s because Dublin gives you a sleep-​deprived hangover: we didn’t see it shake, but we did get a new form of vertigo.
The sky didn’t fall in and the ground stayed strong. It did, however, seem to reach on upwards forever, like a direct passage to the clouds.
I like it.

Meh, take a selfie and move on. If you want touch it, but at your own risk (might want to get checked up later then.)

It’s the City Centre. Like the worlds largest push pin showing everyone where Dublin is. It looks cool and makes it easy to give people directions based on this as a point of reference. Also affectionately known as the stiffey on the Liffey.

You never know where and when Godzilla will strike and destroy your city.
Dublin’s plan is to somehow push or trip Godzilla onto The Spire, sending the giant lizard to a medieval style impaled slow death. BBQ Reptile burgers for everyone. I’ll take medium rare with a side of chips.
Either way, I think this giant spike is pretty darn cool.

It’s a useful landmark in the shopping district. Of course there is nothing to do there, but it’s great to meet up at. Did I mention that it lights up at night? Lol.

Heard from a tour guide it was built to celebrate the millennium but was completed until 2003 and so its nicknamed: stiletto in the ghetto and the pointless point. True or not I don’t know you be the judge. However, its very cool to look at.

The Spire is one of the first thing I have seen when I moved to Dublin and I still love it. I like the concept of an high pillar (121.2 Meters) that becomes really thin at its top. During the night you can see the light on the top. It is maybe for that reason that is also known as the Monument of light.
The Spire is something relatively new that breaks the point of modern urban art, respecting what it is already in place around it.
This huge spike is also useful to locals and turists for meeting in city centre. During the Summer time it can be so a busy spot, so some people prefer to meet elsewhere nearby or along the footpath in the middle of the street.
Along with Molly Malone, the Spire represent an iconic symbol for Dublin City Centre.

This was the first thing I saw when the bus dropped me off in Dublin. I wasn’t impressed, nor was I turned off, but I was curious. I did some research and found out that it’s controversial, mainly because it cost € 8,000,000 to build. I’m no tax payer, so I can’t complain about that.
The only good thing about The Spire is that if you’re lost, it’s a great landmark to use to get oriented. Other than that, it’s boring art and a silly use of eight million euros.

I must be one of a few that absolutely love the spire…
I love that it can be seen from most areas in Dublin, I can see it at night from my bedroom window… some miles away! I think it is a conversation piece and the fact that it is an obscure object that doesn’t really make sense really getting people talking about it… be it good or bad! Which is better than it being a pretty monument that nobody talks about for even notices!

Ah sure tis grand. I’ve become accustomed to it — the big stick poking up into the sky that you can see from a fair distance away. In fact it generally makes me smile when I see it as it calls to mind a plan a friend of mine had when it first when up. He was going to see 6 inch nails as replica spires… funny that never took off!

Reading the reviews on the spire, things seem to be very spread out between people loving it, thinking it is okay or hating it. I personally like the spire. While I don’t think I have ever actually been at the base itself, I have admired the spire quite often from afar. Whether this is looking out of my office window above the Liffey, walking to and from work or leaving a pub at night.
The spire was made to reflect the surroundings (clouds, sky) during the day and light up at the base and high at the tip at night. The top is lit up with led lights at the very top and it is actually quite stunning on a foggy morning/​evening. It is the world’s highest sculpture as well, which is an interesting title for central Dublin to hold.

You would think a city as storied as Dublin would have a more deserving monument than the Spire. It’s not that it’s offensive, it’s just that it’s so nondescript. Located in the middle of the city’s central thoroughfare, O’Connell Street, right across from the historic General Post Office, it is simply there. About 400 feet high, it’s made of stainless steel polished in abstract patterns to give it a more artistic look. But it’s easy to overlook such touches since it really doesn’t inspire at eye-​level where it’s ten feet in diameter. From a distance, it takes on slightly more grandeur but not much (see photos).
The Spire was built for the millennium, but funding shortfalls delayed its completion until 2002. It took the place of a more traditional granite pillar dedicated to Lord Nelson, which was blown up by a bomb planted by the IRA in 1966. There’s a retro feel to the Spire evoking the space program with its cylindrical shape tapering to a pencil point at the top much like a Saturn rocket. None of that lingers in the memory for long. There’s no elevator, no observation deck, nothing really to induce traction onto any of your senses when you come upon it. It primarily makes a convenient meeting spot in a less desirable part of the city.

The Millennium Spire — even more commonly called the stiletto in the ghetto, is to some an eye sore, and to others such as myself an interesting additive to Dublin City Centre. Being an American that lived in Dublin, I commonly used this as a meeting point with my friends before a night out. I would jump right off the DART at O’Connell Station then make my way over. Granted it was not in the safest of area in my opinion, but it served its purpose. Also, it was great to find when I would occasionally get lost. Trust me, I have a horrible sense of direction.

So, amongst other things, this is the tallest sculpture on the planet … what a crazy world record.
At almost 400 feet tall, it would simply be dwarfed if it were in the middle of NYC but here in Dublin this Stiletto in the Ghetto, Stiffy at the Liffey, Erection in the Intersection stands out like a sore thumb.
Standing in the place where Nelson’s pillar was, before the IRA blew it up in 1966, this monument was supposed to be completed by the year 2000 to commemorate the Millennium but, in grand Irish style, it was late and only completed in 2003. Guess you can’t call it by its original name the Millennium Spire anymore, eh? (- 1 star)
The little «night-​light» at the top can be seen from my backyard … always thought that was cool (+ 1 star).

La escultura más alta del mundo (real) con más de 120 metros, aunque realmente no es mu difícil, ya que es sólo un pincho altísimo. Tiene varios nombres (y para los españoles más), como el monumento de la luz o de la paz, justamente porque donde está ubicado estaba la columna y el monumento del almirante británico Nelson, explotada por el grupo terrorista IRA ya que a estos les parecía un insulto que sea un almirante británico el que dominara la vista en el centro de la capital irlandesa.
Sirve como guía, como la estrella polar, para ubicarte en la capital, pues es muy fácil divisarlo desde muchos puntos de la ciudad, así que es fácil orientarte gracias al mismo.
Ubicado en el pleno centro de la ciudad, en el medio de la calle O’Connell, la más importante y grande de la ciudad.
Su encanto y belleza es muy debatido, pero su impresionante tallaje deja sin palabras.

Dahinten ist der Stab, wir sind hier richtig. ‘The Spire’ sieht ganz wundervoll aus und man sieht ihn aus weiter Entfernung. Ein super Orientierungspunkt mitten in der Stadt.

the spire certainly beats the old whore in the sewer that was there beforehand which was a terrible smelly piece of worthless art, or the Nelson’s pillar that the IRA blew up in 1966 which was there to honour lord Nelson of London.
the spire on the other hand was created as a piece of art to revitalize the main Dublin thoroughfare which was becoming more and more downtrodden and rundown looking with all the nasty fast food restaurants.
this piece of art is a great meeting place and honours the GPO which is opposite much more than Nelson ever could. after all the 1916 rising was all about fighting for our independence and having Nelson overlooking was probably a bit of a sore point to the Irish.
what it stands for or means really is beyond me,

What’s not to like…
It is a beautiful modern Irish monument which will be seen by future generations-​steering them in the direction of the city centre whenever they lose track of where they are.
Although it cost millions I believe it was money well spent-O’Connell street has benefited from it’s grandeur!
It also makes people look up when they normally spend their time looking down! «The only way is up. oh baby it’s you and me now…»

Diese riesige Nadel sticht eindeutig im Straßenbild hervor, und passt irgendwie gar nicht so richtig in die Stadt. Dennoch finde ich dieses «Bauwerk» sehenswert, und vorallem fotogen ;-)

Emblema y punto de encuentro de la ciudad.

En fait, c’est pas si mal que ça.
Ce n’est pas un haut lieu touristique à voir absolument, mais plutôt un point de repère… habilement conçu.
Les dessins en bas de l’aiguille sont assez modernistes (voir ma photo), et se tenir à l’endroit d’où j’ai pris cette photo donne le vertige en moins de deux secondes, tant les nuages donnent l’impression que la fine aiguille va vous tomber dessus.
mais c’est surtout par l’ambiance autour d’elle que The Spire est une réussite selon moi. Comme elle est repérable de loin, elle est un lieu de rendez-​vous facile… et du coup regorge de monde, qui attend, qui se parle, se retrouve, et l’ambiance est réellement sympa.
C’est déjà ça !

Geil, ich find den Spire einfach Klasse !! dadurch erhält man eine sehr gute Orientierung in Dublin !!
1a !!

When I first saw The Spire, I thought «What the F***?» I wasn’t a fan. I didn’t like it. But, over the course of the next few days, it became like one of those people who at first you don’t like, but spend every day with and realize you kind of, secretly like them… but you don’t know why.
It seemed to follow me every place I went. It was comforting. I always knew that I could count on it if I ever got lost — A shining, phallic beacon to reassure tourists that if you only followed it, you’d end up in a shady part of town with pickpockets waiting eagerly.
No wonder I love it!

I remember the debate that occurred when the decision to build the Spire was made. To this day I have no idea why this monument was chosen instead of the some of the other options that were discussed, if anything it’s a monument to the drug dealers of the world since it looks like a hypodermic needle. It looks out of place among the older buildings on O’Connell St.
I think you have to be flying into Dublin airport on a sunny day to see the good side of the spire since it sometimes reflects the sun and that can be pretty good looking.

Punto de encuentro mitico de Dublin, vayas a la hora que vayas esta siempre lleno de gente si eres nuevo acercate seguro que ves españoles que han quedado.
Por la noche es casi imposible verse, esta a tope

Es un enorme ‘pincho’ metálico de 120 m de alto colocado en medio de la calle O’Conell, una de las más principales de Dublin. Es una de las esculturas más altas del mundo.
Se colocó en el lugar de un antiguo pilar monumental dedicado a Nelson, pero pese a no tener ningún significado en especial, se ha convertido en un símbolo representativo de la ciudad; además, es el punto de encuentro de todos los dublineses.