Top 10 Famous Monuments in Dublin
Do you want to learn something about the history of Ireland and would like to get to know more about important personalities of the country too? Well, Dublin got you covered with its various monuments and statues. You will get to know some of the most formative Irish personalities and a lot about the Irish history and culture if you walk around the city and take a look at them.
This post shows you the Top 10 Famous Monuments in Dublin, including where they are located and a bit about the history and meaning of them.
The newest monument on this list, built in 2003 for 4 Million €. It´s also known as the “Monument of Light” due to the lights at the top of it. It reaches 121m in the sky and looks basically like a gigantic steel lance.
The Spire is located at the former location of “Nelson´s Pillar” in the middle of O’Connell Street which was bombed by the IRA, an Irish guerilla organisation, in 1966. Because of that, the public opinion about it is controversial, as there isn´t a real historical meaning behind the Spire and cost a lot of money.
It has quite harsh nicknames like “the Stiffy by the Liffey” or “the Stiletto in the Ghetto” too.
Daniel O’Connell Statue
This one is out of the year 1882 and displays the famous Irish political leader Daniel O’Connell who fought for Catholic emancipation and independence in Ireland. You can find the statue, of course, in O’Connell Street.
He is surrounded by 4 angels which stand for patriotism, fidelity, courage and eloquence. You can still see bullet holes in the statue from the 1916 Easter Rising when British soldiers used them as target practice.
Jim Larkin Statue
Jim Larkin was an Irish trade union leader and socialist activist. His statue is also at O’Connell Street and was built in 1980. With his pose he encourages the workers to rise up, as he did in a speech during his prime time.
Molly Malone Statue
The woman is from a famous song about Dublin. It maybe seems a bit weird that she has her own statue then, but she is strongly connected to the city and if you hear her name you immediately think about Dublin.
The statue was presented in 1988 during the Dublin Millennium Celebrations and is located in Grafton Street. One nickname of her is “the Tart with the Cart”.
Oscar Wilde Statue
Oscar Wilde was a famous Irish author, poet and playwright and has his statue now in Merrion Square. It´s located there, because Wilde used to live in No. 1 Merrion Square. The statue was unveiled in 1997 and is part of a triplet of statues, one of his nude pregnant wife and the other of the Greek God Dionysus.
Constance Markievicz Statue
You can find the statue of the famous Irish politician, revolutionary, nationalist and socialist at Tara Street, opposite to the fire station there. Constance Markievicz also fought in the 1916 Easter Risings and became a member of the Parliament later. The statue from 1998 displays her with her beloved dog Puppet.
It´s an Obelisk in Phoenix Park and actually the highest Obelisk in Europe with 62m. Built in 1861, it displays the victories of Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington. It has 4 plaques on it, one with just text about Wellesley and 3 about his career in Waterloo, the Indian Wars and about Civil and Religious Liberty.
This large white cross is also located in Phoenix Park. The Monument was built due to the visit of pope John Paul II in 1979 who held an open air sermon there in front of 1 million people. You have to remember that this is already one quarter of the whole Irish population. Moreover, it´s 35m high and out of steel girders.
During the great Famine in the middle of the 19th Century 1 million Irish died and millions emigrated into foreign countries. They had to emigrate because of a potato disease and the potato was the main food source during that time.
The memorial is from 1997 and shows 6 very skinny people making their way to Dublin harbour to get a boat out of Ireland. It´s located at Custom House Quay.
Father Pat Noise Plaque
Last but not least a rather fun monument in Dublin. You can find this plaque on O’Connell Bridge and may wonder who this priest was. Well, he never existed.
Two brothers installed this plaque as a remembrance of their father who died, but it was more or less a joke of them. They placed it in 2004 on the bridge, but not until 2006 is was recognized by a newspaper. The City Council had no idea about it, but decided to leave the plaque as it is. Therefore you can still admire the “joke” from the two brothers at O’Connell Bridge.
I hope you have learned something about Dublin and you are interested in visiting these places in real life now!!