Nelson's Pillar

Nelson's Pillar in Dublin was a 130-foot granite monument erected in 1809 in honor of Admiral Horatio Nelson and the victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. Designed by the architect Francis Johnston and modeled on Trajan's Column in Rome, it offered visitors access via an interior spiral staircase to a viewing platform beneath the statue. Despite its popularity as a tourist attraction, the monument drew fierce criticism, as it was seen as a symbol of British rule amid rising Irish nationalism. The pillar remained largely undamaged during the Easter Rising of 1916, but after the founding of the Irish Free State, pressure grew to remove it. On March 8, 1966, the monument was blown up, allegedly by IRA fighters, and the remains were demolished completely later that same year. Today, only fragments in the National Museum and the Butler House Hotel recall the pillar, while the modern spire, An Túr Solais, has stood on the former site since 2003.