The third section of the O'Connell Street Spire will be put in place on Monday, January 6th, weather permitting, a spokeswoman for Dublin City Council confirmed last night.
Workers employed by the two firms involved in constructing the 120-metre spire - Radley Engineering in Co Waterford and Siac Construction - are currently on holiday. While Radley Engineering will be back at work next Thursday, Siac staff, who are involved in the actual erection process, are not due back until January 6th.
"As soon as they are back, the third section will be going up, as long as the weather is favourable. Obviously, if the wind gets up too much, work will not be done on the day," the council spokeswoman said.
She pointed out that the third section of the Spire, which measures 15.82 metres and weighs 20 tonnes, was being stored under guard on site in O'Connell Street.
It is hoped that the remaining three sections, measuring 14.8 metres, 14.04 metres and 24 metres, respectively, will be in place by the end of January.
When erected, the Spire will be seven times the height of the GPO. Weighing 120 tonnes, it will have cost €4.6 million.
