Anonymous donor offers to fix €10,000 Spire lighting

The Spire

By Joyce Fegan

A donor who wants to remain anonymous has offered to fix the lighting on the Spire in O'Connell Street, which has been in darkness since October.

The work will cost more than €10,000 as both the aviation and architectural lighting needs to be replaced.

Fine Gael councillor Noel Rock spotted that the capital's landmark was in darkness and contacted the council about it.

He was told that the aviation light would be repaired by mid-March

However, yesterday afternoon a business came forward offering to pay for the works.

"This is a fantastic opportunity to save the taxpayers money and allow this €10,000 be reinvested elsewhere in the city with no strings attached," said Mr Rock.

The Irish Aviation Authority had been notified about the missing light, but the unlit Spire was not considered a problem for commercial flights, though there were concerns over garda helicopters in the city.

It is not known whether the company's offer has been accepted or not, but the council was approached by a public relations firm representing the secret donor.

hnews@herald.ie