O’Connell Tower open again
A TOWER built in tribute to one of Ireland’s most celebrated figures has reopened – 47 years after being damaged in a bomb blast.
Visitors can now climb a newly installed staircase to reach the top of O’Connell Tower in Dublin’s Glasnevin Cemetery.
The 55-metre round tower, which now also features an exhibition, was built in the 1850s to commemorate the life of Daniel O’Connell.
O’Connell founded the cemetery in 1832 and was laid to rest there after his death in 1847. His remains were later exhumed and interred in a crypt at the base of the memorial tower built in his honour.
The granite tower was a popular visitor attraction for more than century but was forced to close in 1971 when it was badly damaged in a suspected loyalist paramilitary bombing. The blast shot up through the tower, destroying its staircase and blowing out the windows. A large crack caused by the attack is still visible on the structure.
The crypt was refurbished a decade ago and in 2016 the Glasnevin Trust, in partnership with the Office of Public Works, began work to restore the tower and install a new 198-step staircase.
When the foundation stones of the tower were laid in 1854, a lead time capsule containing medals, documents and objects relating to O’Connell’s life was placed within it. Echoing this, the reopening yesterday was marked by the laying of a time capsule at the base of the tower by students from the O’Connell School in Glasnevin.
Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe attended the ceremony, and said: ‘It is a privilege to be here today, alongside the students from the local school that takes O’Connell’s name, to see the results of the extraordinary work undertaken by the OPW and the Glasnevin Trust.
‘It is testament to the man we refer to as the Liberator and one of the seminal figures in Irish political life.’
John Green, chairman of the Glasnevin Trust, said: ‘Hopefully the exhibition inside the tower will not only enhance the climb, but also help to reinstate Daniel O’Connell to his rightful position in the pantheon of Irish leaders.’
Tickets are required to access the tower. For more details, visit www.glasnevinmuseum.ie.
‘It’s a testament to the Liberator’