O'Connell Monument, Dublin

The O'Connell Monument is a 40 ft high commemorative granite and bronze monument honouring nationalist leader Daniel O'Connell (1775–1847) located on O'Connell Street, the main thoroughfare of Dublin, Ireland.

The monument consists of a two-ton Dalkey granite foundation stone, on top of which are seated four winged victories (at angles), encircled above by a bronze frieze of over 30 figures in high-relief symbolizing Irish culture, surmounted at the top by the tall cloaked figure of O'Connell (at about 2.5 times life-size) looking southwards. A small pile of books lies at the base of O'Connell's left leg.

The O'Connell Monument was unveiled to the public on 15 August 1882 and the newly widened Carlisle Bridge was renamed O'Connell Bridge in honour of its new main focal point. What is now known as O'Connell Street, however, would remain named as Sackville Street until 1924.

History

After O'Connell's death in May 1847, it was considered prudent to create a monument befitting of the man's legacy, and, if completed by 1875, could also celebrate the centenary of his birth. A fund was promoted by several newspapers and the hierarchy authorised church door collections to achieve this aim.

A committee naming itself the ''O'Connell Monument Committee'' was established following a public meeting in the Prince of Wales Hotel on Sackville Street, and adopted the resolution that "the monument would be to O'Connell in his whole character and career, from the cradle to the grave so as to embrace the whole nation." Sub-committees were set up in the provinces, and financial help was also received from as far away as New Zealand and South Africa.

It was noted in the ''O'Connell Street Monument Report'' (2003) commissioned by Dublin City Council that, at the time, "the decision to commemorate Daniel O'Connell with a monument in Sackville Street was an important move away from commemorating only members of the Castle administration or the British royal family", which had been the case up until that point. Concurrent to the O'Connell monument drive, plans to erect a monument to Prince Albert were also underway in Dublin at the same time.

On 8 August 1864, having already collected £8,362, the first stage of the monument's construction was achieved by the installation of a two-ton Dalkey granite foundation stone by Lord Mayor of Dublin Peter Paul McSwiney (a distant relative of O'Connell's). Delegations from all over Ireland were in attendance at the ceremony. The delegates from Belfast were mobbed by Orangemen on their return home followed by "days of sectarian riots" in the city, according to a 1969 article by ''The Irish Independent''.

Dublin Corporation took over responsibility of the monument thenceforth, and a competition for the design of the sculpture was initiated with a closing date of 1 January 1865. 60 designs were submitted and were described in the Irish Builder trade journal and exhibited in the City Hall, however all designs were eventually rejected by the committee. With no resident Irish winner of the competition, Irish sculptor John Henry Foley, living in England and working on the Albert Memorial amongst other commissions, took on the project. In August 1871, Foley presented a progress report to the Corporation complaining of ill health and other work commitments delaying his progress. Foley died in 1874 and his assistant Thomas Brock was formally commissioned in June 1878 to take his place.

Unveiling

The O'Connell Monument was finally unveiled to the public on 15 August 1882 "with much splendour" by Lord Mayor Charles Dawson. The unveiling had failed to achieve its 1875 target, but did coincide with the centenary of the Volunteer Movement, and the occasion of the ''Industrial and Agricultural Exhibition'' which was taking place that same time in Dublin at the Rotunda Gardens (modern day Parnell Square). The monument was not totally finished by this stage however, as the four winged victories had not been added. These were finally installed in May 1883.

Features

In the frieze of characters below O'Connell, Erin (the female personification of Ireland) is seen facing the River Liffey holding the Act of Emancipation of 1829 in her left hand. The winged figures below the frieze represent Patriotism (holding a sword and shield), Fidelity (with an Irish Wolfhound), Eloquence (holding a book) and Justice (with a serpent).

Damage

1916 Damage

The monument was damaged by gunfire during the Easter Rising of April 1916 and bullet holes can be still seen in sections of the bronze.

1969 Damage

As part of the Troubles, at about 4am on 26 December 1969, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) bombed the base of the monument, shattering the statue that represents the 'Winged Victory of Courage' into four pieces. An Irish Army explosives expert confirmed that a time-bomb had been placed behind the figure. There were no injuries in the blast but some buildings and cars within a half mile radius were damaged.''Telegraph Herald'', 26 December 1969. Police stopped cars on all main roads following the explosion, and a special check made on all vehicles heading for the Northern Ireland border in an attempt to apprehend those responsible. The same group had also bombed the grave of Wolfe Tone in County Kildare a few months prior in October 1969, and warned that "Further installations in Éire will be demolished so long as the puny Éire Army continues to keep its soldiers on the border of our beloved Ulster."

Bruce Arnold, Fine Arts correspondent for ''The Irish Independent'' noted at the time:
:'' "Works of this sort are virtually impossible to evaluate and extremely difficult to repair if damaged, particularly because of the limited facilities in Ireland for heavy bronze casting".''
Three years earlier, another prominent monument on the street, Nelson's Pillar, was severely damaged by explosives planted by Irish republicans.

Composition

The sculptural section is composed of three main sections; a statue of O'Connell at the top, a frieze in the middle, and four winged victories at the base.

According to Professor Paula Murphy of UCD, sculptor Thomas Farrell may have been directly influenced by the presentation of Foley's composition for his own 1882 statue of Cardinal Cullen at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral, Dublin.

Sackville street name change

In December 1884, two years after the unveiling of the statue, Dublin Corporation passed a resolution to rename Sackville Street as O'Connell Street but in 1885, aggrieved locals, with the Attorney General of Ireland arguing their case, secured a Court order holding that the Corporation lacked the powers to make such a change. The necessary powers were eventually granted in 1890, but it may have been felt best to allow the new name to become popular; over the years the name O'Connell Street gradually gained popular acceptance, and the name was changed officially, without any protest, in 1924.

Gallery

Image:O'Connell Monument - geograph.org.uk - 6053712.jpg, Seen from O'Connell Bridge
Image:O'Connell Monument top closeup 1.jpg, Close up of O'Connell (showing bullet holes)
Image:O'Connell Monument, O'Connell St Lower, Dublin (507155) (32687703471).jpg, The monument in 2015
Image:Crowds at funeral procession of Michael Collins Dublin 1922 (6088554764).jpg, The monument in 1922
Image:View of O'Connell Bridge and monument, Dublin (26827225555).jpg, The monument in 1928
Image:Taking a break (6010612515).jpg, The monument in 1969
Image:Meet you under the clock at Clery's (9038595213).jpg, The monument in context
Image:Dublin-12-O'Connell-Denkmal-Engel-2017-gje.jpg, One of the four winged figures at the base of the monument
Image:O'Connell.JPG, The monument from the rear, looking towards O'Connell Bridge House
Image:2023 Dublin riots - bus burning (cropped).jpeg, A Dublin Bus burning in front of the monument during the 2023 Dublin riot
Image:Deliveroo and Just Eat cyclists waiting at the O'Connell Monument for jobs.jpg, Deliveroo and Just Eat food delivery riders waiting at the monument for jobs to appear in the locality, June 2024

References

Sources

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Buildings and structures completed in 1882
Buildings and structures in Dublin (city)
Monumental columns in the Republic of Ireland
19th-century architecture in the Republic of Ireland
1882 sculptures
Outdoor sculptures in Ireland
Sculptures of men in Ireland