Economic benefits of the Spire?

Judgement Day

Probably in wrong forum - so please move as you see fit.

I am in the middle of a serious thinning of my newspaper archives and I came across these two crackers about Dublin's Spire.

I thought at the time that it was total bull**** and I would be interested to hear about the millions of Euros that the Spire has brought into the economy...you know souvenirs etc.etc..

spire and ebay 003.JPG

spire and ebay 002.JPG

rs

I suspect businesses on Henry street and O'Connell street have benefited from the increase in tourist traffic to the spire.

ejmaztec

Judgement Day wrote: »

Probably in wrong forum - so please move as you see fit.

I am in the middle of a serious thinning of my newspaper archives and I came across these two crackers about Dublin's Spire.

I thought at the time that it was total bull**** and I would be interested to hear about the millions of Euros that the Spire has brought into the economy...you know souvenirs etc.etc..

spire and ebay 003.JPG

spire and ebay 002.JPG

Sums it up nicely.

bog master

Why not write to the Council asking if the Trust has been set up and has any of the proceeds been distributed? Love to hear the reply!!

Wertz

lol What a bloody joke...the only things resembling the Spire that make money in inner city Dublin are IV needles and their contents.
Talk about being sold a pup...the thing is an oversized on-street urinal and a waste of good stainless steel.

Libertyed

After reading these posts regarding the stainless steel Spire, or should I said a monumental pin, or the resembling of an IV needle, in the middle of our historic city in Dublin.

I would like to ask, the members here, why did they not protest against this eyesore that was in the planning stages of design. One has to wonder, what the architech Ian Rictchie, had on his mind when he presented the city counsel his drawings of a Pole, to replace the old enemy statute of Nelson, who bye the way, was born in Ireland.

After his statute was blowing to smiddereens in the early hours of March the 8th 1966. This was the year the republic celebrated its 50 years from oppression from our neighbours across the Irish sea. We the irish citizens, allowed a pole to be placed, close to a historic location of the GPO, where our leaders, began it's opperation, of an irish rebellion, and for almost a week of fighting the occupation of our dear land, our leaders who where not shot dead, but surrendered, and where exercuted later by the British forces.

Now, would'nt you think, our city counselors and the architect Ian Ritchie, would have agreed to design and construct a monument to those leaders of 1916? especcially just yards from the GPO, and in the place of Nelson ?

But wait...this brings me to the "Point or Pin" that our city counselors and maybe Ian Rictchie were on some hallucination trip, or something?

Sure resembles an IV Needle or pin to me, when I pass bye this roll of metal reaching into the sky, at a cost of €200.000 to keep the lights on?

It has no real architectual design to it, other than the engravments around it?

Go figure this one out?

mikemac

Libertyed wrote: »

One has to wonder, what the architech Ian Rictchie, had on his mind when he presented the city counsel his drawings of a Pole, to replace the old enemy statute of Nelson, who bye the way, was born in Ireland.

No he wasn't.
You're probably thinking of the Duke of Wellington who was born in Dublin and the family estate was in Meath

Agent Smith

why wasnt it made to be the tallest in the world or something.


its a waste of money, and steel.

makes a decent meeting point tho...

Ibrahimovic91

it will be without question taken down i reckon, give it 20 years max.

Judgement Day

Admiral Nelson was born in Norfolk not Dublin. That said his column was a favourite meeting point of Dubliners and its destruction in 1966 was a pointless act of vandalism. If it wasn't for poor old Nelson we would all be speaking French today but as my ex. used to say we are all speaking English so what's my point.

Libertyed

Thank you for pointing out my error, in regards to where Nelson, was born. I stand to be corrected. Anyway, I have no problem speaking French, or Spanish, after all these countries tried to send aid, when the country was under the thumb of the Crown? Don't forget, the country was nearly speaking German? Now the country has so many different languges, and makes it a nice change to listen to...

Libertyed

Thanks for pointing out my error, I stand to be corrected regarding Nelson and his heritage.

Libertyed

I'm not sure about that, as the cost of removal of this structure would cost millions.

It problem would might make an attraction in Las vegas, or maybe Dubai for the tourist?

But I can't see what at a pole will do for tourism, anyway?

ArmaniJeanss

Libertyed wrote: »

I'm not sure about that, as the cost of removal of this structure would cost millions.

It problem would might make an attraction in Las vegas, or maybe Dubai for the tourist?

But I can't see what at a pole will do for tourism, anyway?

Tourists genuinely do seem to love it.
I walk O'Connell St every day and during the summer months there are always visitors getting their photograph taken with the Spire in the background.

It probably does generate some indirect income, by serving as a focal point for helping visitors navigate the city. So they spend less time wandering around in a lost daze and more time spending money because they know where they are going. I accept that this is tenuous and not possible to measure accurately.

As for it being a possible attraction if sold to Las Vegas, thats just LOL.
They have volcanos that explode on the hour over there, and roller coasters around the outside of hotels that are composed of New York skyscrapers - a rather small spike would barely register on the awareness scale.

Squeeonline

I'll always remember it as the Stiletto in the Ghetto.

P. Breathnach

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

Tourists genuinely do seem to love it.
I walk O'Connell St every day and during the summer months there are always visitors getting their photograph taken with the Spire in the background...

How far away does the photographer have to stand?

I spend a good deal of time on travel groups, and encounter many people who visit Dublin as tourists. I don't recall anybody mentioning the spire.

ArmaniJeanss

P. Breathnach wrote: »

How far away does the photographer have to stand?

I spend a good deal of time on travel groups, and encounter many people who visit Dublin as tourists. I don't recall anybody mentioning the spire.

A lot of them stand in the centre section across from Easons (where I get my bus home so thats when I do see them).
Quite amusing watching them trying to get the whole Spire in, usually involves the photographer crouching on knee quite close to the person he's photo-ing.

I'm surprised more of your tourist groups don't mention it by the way, maybe its more of an independent traveller thing, loads of 20something Europeans seem to be gathered there each day at the Spire and the GPO. Maybe your tourist groups are the 'more mature' traveller?

AlekSmart

As somebody who has a daily interaction with O Connell St I believe the Spire represents yet another example of our native reluctance to make full use of "Stuff".

Ian Ritchie`s "Tower of Light" or Túr Soláis known colloquially The Spire does indeed represent the resurgence of the Irish spirit as it points ever skyward...well at least it did until about 10 months ago.

The strand of DNA woven around the base in shiny plate tends to remind us that we are only a part of a far larger human grouping repesented very ably by the many foreign languages to be heard there every day.

Ritchie however,being from the UK might have had a more rounded view of his brief which the natives of Dublin City Council could not bring themselves to consider.

This may explain why the Spire fails to make any real use of its domain as THE recognitive point in the Capital.

It`s also worth recalling that Nelsons Pillar itself did not have a painless erection (!!) process.

I recall a lecture by the late Éamonn Mac Thomáis in which he outlined the fraught fundraising process surrounding Nelsons Pillar.
It appears the good commercial burghers of Dublin were somewhat reluctant to meet the amounts they had priginally promised unlike the plain people of the City who contributed somewhat easier.

Back to the Spire however and its inability to use what could be a great Public Space around it.

Dublin City Council,in its wisdom has placed a gathering-spot,a congregational element if you will,slap bang in the middle of a Pedestrian Crossing...one of the busiest in the country...and apparently sees nowt wrong with that ..... :cool:

The Spire could achieve far more from itself by emerging centrally from a small amphitheatre with staggered seating.
Conversely this amphitheatre could be inverted and have the Spire itself emerge from the top of a mound equally surrounded by seating.

The Spire,had it been moved 50 mtrs Southwards to emerge in front of the GPO could well have formed part of a larger SAFER Public area.(Photograpy of the Spire is currently a seriously DANGEROUS practice as it can involve the Photographer finding themselves in the middle of a VERY active main road traffic flow without being aware of this !)

After dark it needs some element of lighting possibly a high power spotlight/s from each end of the street slowly illuminating its entire height with perhaps a time signal element at Midnight by remaining fixed on the tip for the stroke of 12 ?

Most certainly as it is currently configured the Spire is neither fish nor fowl but it IS decidedly IRISH in the confused,compromising and conspiritorial form it takes.

Ibrahimovic91

one question why would we have speaked french if it wasn't for this nelson guy? i wish we spoke french

P. Breathnach

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

... I'm surprised more of your tourist groups don't mention it by the way, maybe its more of an independent traveller thing, loads of 20something Europeans seem to be gathered there each day at the Spire and the GPO. Maybe your tourist groups are the 'more mature' traveller?

Good guess. In general, they are. They are also English-speaking, at least to the extent of participating in English-language boards. So they are rather unlike the group you describe.

P. Breathnach

Ibrahimovic91 wrote: »

one question why would we have speaked french if it wasn't for this nelson guy?

He gave the French navy a hard time, and made a French invasion of Ireland less of a danger than it otherwise might have been.

i wish we spoke french

There are classes available.

Peanut

AlekSmart wrote: »

...
After dark it needs some element of lighting possibly a high power spotlight/s from each end of the street slowly illuminating its entire height with perhaps a time signal element at Midnight by remaining fixed on the tip for the stroke of 12 ?

I'm surprised that they never installed some sort of decorative lighting to make use of the semi-reflective surface. It's like they went to all the effort of installing it and then lost interest at the last hurdle.

Perhaps it may have been considered a further distraction to motorists, but I think at least some improved static lighting on the structure would make it more iconic.

Purple Gorilla

Agent Smith wrote: »

why wasnt it made to be the tallest in the world or something.

It was. It's the world's tallest sculpture

generalmiaow

In the interest of balance, I will state that as a Dubliner, I do like the Spire. I was also involved in a number of "art projects" related to it and have depicted and seen it depicted in a number of ways. I won't bore you with details or pictures of them because I don't think they would be appropriate to the economy forum, and I can't defend it architecturally, design-wise or anything else like that because I don't have the knowledge.

I don't know how many others like me there are, and I understand the cynicism about it and what it is supposed to symbolise (or resemble!), but I do love the fact that it is there.

Purple Gorilla

I don't think it's great, but I don't hate it. I think people just hate it for the sake of hating it. I'm sure in like 50 years time people will be like "omg the spire is so cool. i'm going to my hovercar now" because if you look at the Eiffel Tower for example, it was seen as ugly and hated when it was built. It's something recognisable as being from Dublin and it looks pretty good at night in the Dublin skyline.


I mean, does that look so terrible?

leninbenjamin

Purple Gorilla wrote: »

I mean, does that look so terrible?

Everyday i walk past it on the way to college, i can barely stop laughing at it. The irony that inner city Dublin's most famous 'thing' (sculpture and monument are too positive in their connotations) would be a needle sticking up from ground...

generalmiaow

leninbenjamin wrote: »

Everyday i walk past it on the way to college, i can barely stop laughing at it. The irony that inner city Dublin's most famous 'thing' (sculpture and monument are too positive in their connotations) would be a needle sticking up from ground...

I hope that was was a pun.

Purple Gorilla

leninbenjamin wrote: »

Everyday i walk past it on the way to college, i can barely stop laughing at it. The irony that inner city Dublin's most famous 'thing' (sculpture and monument are too positive in their connotations) would be a needle sticking up from ground...

Who said it was the most famous thing about Dublin?

leninbenjamin

generalmiaow wrote: »

I hope that was was a pun.

errr.... yes.

Purple Gorilla wrote: »

Who said it was the most famous thing about Dublin?

Me, obviously!

Imposing would be a better choice of word.

generalmiaow

Purple Gorilla wrote: »

Who said it was the most famous thing about Dublin?

I think it refers to the fact that it's supposed to be a symbol for the city, and yet it resembles a hypodermic syringe. You know, just like big ben resembles a giant watch.

Libertyed

Regarding the awareness scale of tourist in Las vegas, they could put the Pole inside one of those hotels and then the awareness scale would be more noticeable?