O'Connell Street and the Spire of Dublin

O'Connell Street and the Spire of Dublin

The Dublin audio-guided tour takes you onto O'Connell Street, the city's main artery, often compared to the Champs-Élysées. This wide shopping and tourist street, very busy at all hours, is dominated by a striking metal spire: the Spire of Dublin.

From a national hero to a modern spire

Called Sackville Street until 1924, the street was renamed in honour of Daniel O'Connell, a national hero who fought all his life for the rights of the Irish. The Spire, a conical sculpture more than one hundred and twenty metres tall, was completed in January 2003 on the site of the former Nelson's Pillar. This stainless-steel needle has become an emblematic landmark of the city centre.

What there is to see

The street is dotted with monuments and statues, including that of Daniel O'Connell, and lined with department stores, cafés and the emblematic General Post Office, a high place of Irish history. The Spire, visible from afar, glitters in the sun and marks the heart of the city centre. It is the ideal artery to feel the pulse of Dublin.

Practical information

O'Connell Street crosses the centre of Dublin, on the north bank of the Liffey. The street can be walked freely at all hours and on the level; the Spire can be contemplated from the street. The shops and monuments keep their own hours.

Who was Daniel O'Connell?

Daniel O'Connell was an Irish national hero who fought for the rights of the Irish. Dublin's main artery was renamed in his honour in 1924.

When was the Spire of Dublin completed?

The Spire, a conical sculpture more than one hundred and twenty metres tall, was completed in January 2003, on the site of the former Nelson's Pillar.