Nelson Pillar

Nelson Pillar once stood were
The Spire on O'Connell Street stands today.

On the Morning of 8th March 1966 at 1.30am
O'Connell Street was rocked by a powerful explosion.

Nelson Pillar was erected in 1809.

Nelson Pillar Dublin 1808 - 1966

Nelson Pillar or usually referred to as the pillar was a large granite structure on which stood a statue of Horatio Nelson. It was erected in 1809 on Sackville Street (O’Connell Street) in Dublin in commemoration of Horatio Nelson’s victory over the Franco-Spanish fleet at Trafalgar. It also commemorated 3 other battles Copenhagen, Saint Helena and the Nile. The Pillar was a doric column which was 36.9m (120 feet) in height, the statue was 4m (13 feet) tall in Portland stone by the Cork sculptor Thomas Kirk. The diameter was 4m (13 feet) at the bottom and 3m (10 feet) at the top. The outer visible parts of the pillar was of Wicklow Granite quarried from Gold Hill Kilbride, the interior was of black limestone. It was a 166 steps climb to the viewing platform of the pillar.

James Vance Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1805 suggested the building of the pillar to honour Lord Nelson and the battle of Trafalgar. He organised a meeting with the blessing of the Charles Lennox the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and the 4th Duke of Richmond. A committee was formed which included Arthur Guinness Jr. and a projected budget of £5,000 was agreed.

The original plans were submitted to the committee by London architect William Wilkins, however for some reason later they said they could not execute his design.   Instead they commissioned Francis Johnston famed for his design of the General Post Office on Sackville Street (O’Connell Street). He proposed a number of drawings one of which met with the approval of the committee.

The foundation stone was laid on the 15th February 1808 by the Duke of Richmond Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and was completed by August 1809, the Thomas Kirk sculptured statue of Nelson was placed on its summit.  The Pillar soon became a centre point in Dublin which people used as meeting place and also became a terminus for trams and eventually busses. It was possible to climb to the viewing platform on the summit of the Pillar were panoramic views of Dublin City.

Admiral Nelson dominated Dublin's O'Connell Street until 8th March 1966, in the dead of the night, the IRA blew him up, fortunately without loss of human life. After a week of clearing up the debris from the original [IRA] explosion the Irish army was brought in to blow up the remainder of the pillar. This was done in the night of the 15th March at around midnight and one am. A large population of onlookers were present. The pillar what remained of it was floodlit and there was a countdown on a public address system, based at the GPO, then the headquarters of Radio Éireann. The countdown was narrated by Kevin O'Kelly, a well known broadcaster, who subsequently covered the moon landings, at the same unearthly hour but some years later.

After the statue was blown up in March 1966, Nelson’s head was stolen by NCAD students from a storage shed in Clanbrassil Street as a fund-raising prank to help clear their debts. Wearing sinister black masks, they held a very civil press conference explaining their motives. The head made several secret appearances over the next six months including making its way onto the stage of a Dubliners concert in The Olympia Theatre! Today Nelson’s head now rests peacefully in the Dublin City Library and Archive on Pearse Street in Dublin 2.
Why don't you go and see aul Nelson's head on the first floor of the Pearse Street Library, they will not allow you to photograph the head but they have a nice postcard which you can purchase.

Today.
Today the site of Nelsons Pillar is occupied by the Dublin Spire officially titled the Monument of Light. The spire is a large stainless steel pin like monument 121.2 meters (398ft) in height. It was designed by Ian Richie Architects and was manufactured by Radley Engineering of Dungarvan, Co. Waterford and the installation was completed in January 2003.

Have a look at this link to RTE Archive http://bit.ly/186pcW0
RTÉ Archives present here a rare view of the pillar before the bombing from the programme 'Newsbeat'. Reporter Frank Hall interviews the pillar's caretaker who describes the pillar, the people who visit it, its history, the battles it commemorates and speculates on whether the pillar should be there at all.

See another RTE Archive clip of the demolition of the Pillar bit.ly/Zwvqf9

The man 'who blew up Pillar'.

Man 'who blew up Pillar' pleased.
The man who claims he blew up Nelson's Pillar in 1966 said the Spire, which replaces it, was "absolutely fabulous".
Mr Liam Sutcliffe (70), speaking yesterday after the final section of the 120-metre monument was put in place, said however it would be "for other people" to say whether it was a suitable monument to his efforts.
"It looked magnificent. I was there from about 10 o'clock this morning. It looks like a great engineering job and a much better thing to have on the main street than an old foreign admiral with a broken arm and a missing leg."
Mr Sutcliffe, now living in Walkinstown, Dublin, was questioned by gardaí in September 2000 following a radio interview in which he said he was responsible for blowing up the 158-year-old pillar in 1966.
He was released and the matter was taken no further.
The idea to blow up the statue came during a discussion in the Cosy Bar on the Crumlin Road, Belfast, said Mr Sutcliffe.
"I was having a drink with an old friend at the time. The 1916 Rising was being marked with functions and dinners and the \ campaign was fizzled out.
" We thought the Rising should be marked with something a bit more dramatic and my friend's sister-in-law said it was shocking to see a British admiral in O'Connell Street. So I said we should remove it."
He suggested it to a senior member of the republican movement, who initially thought it would be too dangerous but then agreed it would be a good idea.
"The first attempt was on the last day of February but the bomb didn't go off. So I had to go up on March 1st and remove it. I went into Clery's, bought a nail clippers and stripped it. I had a week then to drop it back. I went back on March 7th, had electrics in a briefcase. I connected everything up and placed it in an aperture - one of the widows at the top - that looked up Henry Street.
"I shook the hand of the man up guarding the platform and said 'Cheerio'. He went off after his shift that night and the bomb went off at 1.32 in the morning. I had it timed for 2 a.m. but I had it on fast and it gained 28 minutes."
Asked whether he saw the bomb go off, he said: "I did not. I was at home tucked up in bed. I didn't know it had gone off at all until I saw it on the front page of the paper that morning."
He was "delighted" and thought the pillar would be replaced with a statue of the seven signatories of the Proclamation facing the GPO.
"I thought they would have done that. In Ireland there's not even a statue of Pearse. In all other former colonies they honour the men who got up and said 'No further shalt thou go'.
"But I think the Spire will be magnificent. I think it will attract people, as long as people don't start scribbling on it."
He also thought it would be "explosion-proof".
Irish Times ~ Wed, Jan 22, 2003.

Liam Sutcliffe with Donal Fallon author of The Pillar the life and after life of the Nelson Pillar at the launch of the book.

Thomas Kirk (1781-1845) Sculptor

Thomas Kirk the man responsible for the Sculptured statue of Horatio Nelson that once stood on top of a memorial column in O'Connell Street. Kirk was a foundation member of Royal Hibernian Academy in 1822. He was born in Cork., and studied at the Dublin Society's School where he won prizes in 1797 and 1800. Later he worked for Henry Darley, a skilful builder and stone-cutter from Meath, based in Abbey Street, Dublin. Kirk was acclaimed for his fine relief work on mantle-pieces and monuments.

Many of his statues can be seen at the Royal College of Surgeons, the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) and the Library of Trinity College. He executed numerous church memorials throughout the country. His favourite relief was one of the Good Samaritan, which was well suited for memorials to either doctors or clergymen

The remains of Thomas Kirk now lies in a grave in Mount Jerome Cemetery, Harold’s Cross in Dublin A large statue of a woman positioned on a Portland pedestal on top of a granite vault on edge of cemetery main avenue.

The Vault is located 50 metres from the doors of the Victorian Chapel on the right hand side of the edge of the Main Avenue. Examples of his work; A statue of Thomas Abbott (d1837) and a marble cenotaph sculpted by Kirk was erected in the Musicians Corner at Christ Church Cathedral.

WHAT REMAINS OF THE PILLAR?

Today Nelson’s head rests peacefully in the Dublin City Library and Archive on Pearse Street, Dublin 2. Why don't you go and see aul Nelson's head on the first floor of the Pearse Street Library.

Further reading:
‘Nelson’s Pillar’ Dublin Historical Record,
Vol 10 - (1948-49) P. Henchy.
M. Craig, Dublin 1660-1860 (Dublin 1952).
P. Somerville-Large, Dublin (London 1979).
D. Bennett, Encyclopaedia of Dublin (Dublin 1991)..

Nelson Pillar by Donal Fallon, ISBN 978-1-84840-326-0
Published 2014.

View from the Top of Nelson Pillar looking towards Henry Street from National Library of Ireland collection.

But what happened to the remains of Nelson Pillar.
After the demolition of the Nelson Pillar the rubble from the monument was taken to the East Wall dump and some other locations around Dublin. The plinth with the lettering was moved to the gardens of Butler House in Kilkenny. Butler House is the Dower House of Kilkenny Castle and has always been associated with the Butler Family, the Dukes & Earls of Ormonde have resided at Kilkenny Castle for 500 years. In 1969 the Nelson's Pillar Act was passed in transferring responsibility for the site of the monument from the Nelson Pillar Trustees to Dublin Corporation.

A "time capsule" discovered in the foundations of Nelson's Pillar was unearthed during an archaeological dig in the foundations of the pillar as part of the preparations for the building of Dublin's new Millennium Spire. There was an expectation that this box contained "coins of the realm and other treasures" which was placed in the foundations in February 1808 when the foundation stone was laid for the pillar. The contents of the heavy granite and limestone box, discovered in the foundations of the pillar were not strictly a secret. Back in 1818 an official record was recorded of the ceremony to lay the foundation stone and details of the time capsule were printed in London in the History of the City of Dublin.

Museum experts had already know that the copper plaque on top of the box listed Lord Nelson's historical deeds and victories and mentioned that the stone was laid by the Duke of Richmond on February 15, 1808. They also knew the inscription on the plaque listed the dignitaries and others who formed a committee to oversee fundraising and the building of the pillar which cost £6,856, eight shillings and three pence. The museum officials took care of the capsule, and were cautious in case the box contained something more perishable than coins, like parchment or newspapers. They arranged to open the container under highly controlled conditions of temperature and moisture. Alas when the capsule was opened the interior was empty. The capsule and plaque are now held in storage by the National Museum of Ireland.

Back in 1966 many people had retrieve some granite pieces of rock from the remains of the pillar which lay on O'Connell Street as souvenirs. Some of these souvenirs still exist today, although some have been discarded as the decedents of the people who recovered the keepsake were unaware of the significance of the rock.

Butler House is the Dower House of Kilkenny Castle and has always been associated with the Butler Family, Dukes & Earls of Ormonde who resided at Kilkenny Castle for 500 years. The granite stones are from the plinth of Nelson Pillar in Dublin

QUESTION?
Do you own a piece of the Nelson Pillar, or have you found a piece of granite lying around the house? That piece of granite could be from the remains of Nelson Pillar a fragment of Dublin History. Wicklow Granite from Nelson Pillar was on display for 158 years in the centre of Dublin, granite such as this from the Wicklow Mountains is about 445 million years old.

Why not share a photo of your treasure on Twitter: @olddublintown or to the e-mail address: [email protected] 

Entrance Gates to the Pillar

On the quest to find what remains of Nelson's Pillar I wondered what happened to the entrance gates. I had been told that they were stored at the Dublin City Council Cleansing Department on Stanley Street after 1966. I decided to ask the question on Twitter and with the help of the Dublin City Council Twitter account I found out that they were transferred to the main drainage depot in Ringsend. The gates are on a stand alone display in a garden unidentified with no plaque. Is it time to place these treasures in a more suitable place in Dublin for the Citizens to admire?

Entrance gates to the Pillar after the explosion

Entrance gates to Nelson Pillar

Entrance to Nelson's Pillar, 1960s (from 35 mm slide). Photo from Michael M. Wood.

Butler House is the Dower House of Kilkenny Castle

The inscribed stones from the base of Nelson Pillar commemorated the admirals battles Copenhagen, Saint Helena, The Nile and the battle of Trafalgar. These stone can be seen at Butler House is the Dower House of Kilkenny Castle in Kilkenny.

Pillar Entrance

Granite blocks from Nelson Pillar in Co. Kilkenny after the explosion 1966 with the inscriptions "COPENHAGEN" & "ST. VINCENT"

THE SOUVENIRS

This piece of the Pillar is owned by @Alfiechops (Twitter handle), Anne-Louise Foley father gave her the piece.

Piece of Nelson from Don Cameron @donsdublin (Twitter handle) The piece was collected on site - after much 'daring' from his school friends.

Jim Bennett was in Dublin on the night Nelson’s Pillar was devastated by a bomb. He was on a school rugby trip from Belfast, and naturally we went to see the devastation. The pile of rubble was being ‘guarded’ by a policeman, but he wasn’t taking the whole thing very seriously and would give you a piece, if you asked. This exhibit is on display in the Museum of History and Science in Oxford.

Steps in a Dublin garden which were once part of the Pillar retrieved from the rubble of Nelson Pillar by a Dublin Corporation worker.

A piece of Nelsons Pillar which weighs 3.7 Kg salvaged from the rubble by a Portrane native at approx. 1am on the night of 15th March 1966 immediately after the remains of the Pillar was blown up by the Irish Army

THE VIDEO'S

THE PHOTOGRAPHS

9th March 1966 - The Irish army start to remove what remains of Nelsons pillar.

Nelson Pillar is gone!

Dublin
By Louis MacNeice

Grey brick upon brick,
Declamatory bronze
On somber pedestals -
O'Connell, Grattan, Moore -
And the brewery tugs and the swans
On the balustraded stream
And the bare bones of a fanlight
Over a hungry door
And the air soft on the cheek
And porter running from the taps
With a head of yellow cream
And Nelson on his pillar
Watching his world collapse.

Ruins of Henry St in the aftermath of the Rising 1916.

The remains of Nelson Pillar as seen from the roof of the General Post Office on Dublin’s O’Connell Street. The photograph was taken in the days following the explosion that destroyed the top half of the monument in the early hours of 8 March 1966. RTÉ photographer Roy Bedell took this image from the roof of the GPO. The John Smyth-designed statue of the female figure Fidelity which sits on the roof of the GPO can be seen in the foreground.

Looking at the Pillar..from Earl Place

The viewing platform of the Pillar.

Nelson Pillar provided some excellent views of the city of Dublin. Originally the platform was uncover but a mesh was added for security reasons later in the life of the pillar.