Construction works begin to Restore the internal stairway in the O’Connell Tower Monument

Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW Brian Hayes attended the announcement of construction beginning this month on the restoration of the internal stairway in the O’Connell Tower Monument at Glasnevin cemetery.

He said that the restored tower will offer visitors “a unique bird’s eye view of our city”.

John Green, chairman of Glasnevin Trust, said that completing the renovation of the O’Connell Tower “has long been a dream of the Trust”.

The restoration of the stairs completes this task and will establish this iconic monument as one of the ‘must do’ visitor sites in Dublin. We are delighted to collaborate so closely with the OPW in completing this work and are grateful for their assistance and expertise, without which the restoration could not have occurred.

He added: “It was the foresight of Daniel O’Connell which forged Glasnevin Cemetery as a site of historical importance, so it is appropriate that, above all others, Glasnevin Trust should honour his memory.”

The building is a listed structure, so the new design had to stay relatively faithful to the original staircase.

However, the engineers will be adding handrails and other safety features in keeping with today’s building standards.