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No decision made (yet) about the future of the Poolbeg chimneys

Despite reports that the iconic Poolbeg chimneys are to be demolished, ESB state that the process is still in the deliberation stage.


THE FUTURE OF the iconic Poolbeg chimneys in Dublin will be discussed next week when Dublin City Council meet to talk about their possible demolition

This comes after ESB chief executive Pat O’Doherty suggested that carrying out the necessary structural and repair works to the 680 ft high twin stacks may not be the best use of resources. The two chimneys have been in place since the 1970s.

Labour councillor Dermot Lacey has submitted an emergency motion to preserve the chimneys at the South East Area Committee of DCC to view on Monday. The motion is:

That in view of recent reports that the ESB is considering the demolition of the Iconic Poolbeg chimneys that this Committee agrees to reinitiate the proposal to include these chimneys on the list of protected structures.

Speaking about the chimneys, Sinn Féin councillor for Pembroke South Dock Chris Andrews said: “They are iconic structures really and it is something we will have to raise. We will be looking to bring this up at the earliest time, which will be the council meeting on Monday.”

They’re the first thing you see when you’re arriving into Dublin and the last thing you see when you’re leaving. They’ve also been part of pop culture. U2 had them in one of their music videos. They are stitched into the culture.

The towers ceased operations in 2010 and currently play no part in ESB’s operations. Speaking to TheJournal.ie, a spokesperson for ESB said: “We are at a review stage, so no decisions have been taken. There are a wide range of considerations we would have to take into account, ranging from the long term feasibility from a renovation and maintenance point of view, but also taking into consideration the wider public sentiment about the towers.”

The critical thing from our point of view is that people realise it is a review, and we will be consulting widely before any decision is made. There are absolutely no definites at the moment.

Speaking in The Irish Times, O’Doherty said: “Some view their 40-year presence on the Dublin skyline as iconic; other as a blight on the landscape”.

It has been suggested that the chimneys could potentially be developed as a landmark for Dublin. Designer Michael Ó Mara has outlined a proposal to change the chimneys into an iconic spectacle by developing them and installing a museum into their base.

On the potential for transforming the towers, O’Mara said: “I think it is an alternative solution. It is a massive opportunity to develop a prime piece of real estate. If you look to the Guggenheim in Bilbao, the Opera House in Sydney or the Eiffel Tower, this could be Dublin’s chance to have something like that.”

READ:A collection of images, memories and feelings about Poolbeg chimneys

 READ: Poll: Should the Poolbeg chimneys be demolished?

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27 Comments
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    Mute Joseph Dempsey
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    Jul 11th 2014, 6:51 PM

    How’s about dangling Garth F$&ING brooks from one of them ?

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    Mute Hank Schrader
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    Jul 11th 2014, 7:49 PM

    So long as he has his guitar and hat hanging with him.

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    Mute eye_c_u___
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    Jul 11th 2014, 6:55 PM

    Best thing they can do is demolish 80% of city center its so dirty and an eyesore. Grand canal dock perfect is the point village and surrounding areas but city center is vile, ugly and full of drugs.

    Give me cork or Belfast any day

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    Mute Roland 303
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    Jul 11th 2014, 8:04 PM

    Cork? Cork would be ok if it wasn’t full of langers. Belfast? Sure half of Belfast are down to Dublin this weekend to get away from the orange order marches, drinking and rioting.

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    Mute Sean Keating
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    Jul 11th 2014, 8:55 PM

    Dublin ? Dublin would ok if it wasnt full of junkies and people who think there better than the rest of the country.

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    Mute Roland 303
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    Jul 11th 2014, 9:21 PM

    Well Sean, we won Sam last year so of course we’re better than everyone in the country :)

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    Mute Shane O'Donnell
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    Jul 12th 2014, 9:23 AM

    Ah you got to love generalisations wha!

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    Mute Hank Schrader
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    Jul 11th 2014, 6:35 PM

    DCC it seems are seriously out of touch with their pay masters.. Us! Would be a shame to see them go, they really are an iconic part of Dublin. Keegan was the same in DLR/Dun Laoghaire and now he is infecting DCC.

    Maybe.. They could get Garth to pay for a paint job on them in exchange for getting his 5 nights..

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    Mute David Burke
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    Jul 11th 2014, 8:01 PM

    You want to pay for them?

    8
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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
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    Jul 11th 2014, 6:12 PM

    They’re a couple of hideous chimneys and they’re named after a bird that’s renowned for deficating on everything.

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    Mute Glen Hoddle
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    Jul 11th 2014, 6:30 PM

    Agree N – they’re redundant and useless. Why do people want to keep everything? These things are only a few decades old. 30/40 years?

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    Mute Lt General Joe
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    Jul 11th 2014, 6:31 PM

    I’m not a Dubliner and I know it’s not named after a bird, but after John Pidgeon a bit of history would put ya straight. http://www.thepigeonhouse.info/history.html

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    Mute thefunnyman
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    Jul 11th 2014, 6:35 PM

    What type of bird is a poolbeg?

    46
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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
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    Jul 11th 2014, 6:44 PM

    Lt General Joe, a knowledge of useless history does not make a chimney any less ugly.

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    Mute Roland 303
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    Jul 11th 2014, 7:59 PM

    Ugly me bollix. Dublin’s twin towers. The ESB already destroyed a row of Georgian houses in the 1960′s, hope they don’t make the same mistake twice. Leave our chimneys alone, they’re a Dublin landmark.

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    Mute steve white
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    Jul 11th 2014, 6:06 PM

    whats going to happen with the buidlings under the towers, there were grand plans for that area and pigeon house during the boom what’s their status now?

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    Mute thefunnyman
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    Jul 11th 2014, 6:15 PM

    They have wanted to develop that whole area for years both North and South side. I’d say this is a shot across the bows fro DCC, they want to see what sort of reaction they get to tearing them down, if it’s positive they’re gone. if not the will try to integrate them some how.

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    Mute sol
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    Jul 11th 2014, 7:37 PM

    They should paint them a loud colour and put bungee jumps off of them. How about a swing.

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    Mute Roland 303
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    Jul 11th 2014, 8:06 PM

    Would make a great extreme climbing wall.

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    Mute Gus Sheridan
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    Jul 11th 2014, 7:29 PM

    Get the lad who blew up Nelsons Pillar and stop farting around, job done

    16
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    Mute Ken Mitchell
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    Jul 11th 2014, 7:40 PM

    You do realise that the lads who blew up nelsons pillar made a mess of it and the job had to be completed by the irish army

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    Mute Roland 303
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    Jul 11th 2014, 8:05 PM

    You do realise that when the Irish army tried to finish the job, they made a balls of it and caused more damage than the original IRA explosion.

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    Mute Ben McCabe
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    Jul 12th 2014, 12:14 AM

    Guggenheim in Bilbao, the Opera House in Sydney or the Eiffel Tower and Poolbeg towers………….. Not suitable in the one sentence or comparable.

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    Mute steven hill
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    Jul 12th 2014, 12:00 AM

    There making Ireland less and less like Ireland every single day…stripping away our history

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    Mute Joe Reid
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    Jul 12th 2014, 12:51 AM

    Two giant helter skelters methinks!

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    Mute eoghanoc
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    Jul 15th 2014, 11:02 AM

    While growing up in Dublin, I never gave the towers much thought, in the same way I thought at the time political nepotism, poor planning laws, alcoholism and clerical abuse were the norm.

    When I moved away and returned intermittently over the years my gaze upward revealed, not how ugly the towers are (which there are not) but how what an inappropriate place for a power plant. Dublin bay is absolutely beautiful but these edifices scar it.

    Dubliners are deluded if they think these are gems worth keeping. You only have to ask any tourist who visits the city what their perception of these towers are. It is usually “what a shame there is a power plant is parked by the sea”

    It would be a better use of money to knock them down and rebuild something, which has a cultural connection and is architecturally beautiful. I wrote previously that they should remove the spire and replace it with a monastic Round tower. These are distinctly Irish, beautiful and citizens and tourists alike can go up them for a fee. Something like this would be worth supporting. It would also stand as a beacon in the bay like the towers once were.

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    Mute Harry Foley
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    Jul 12th 2014, 6:59 PM

    These chimneys are as much a part of Dublin as the post office. I am 69 years old and live in England and I visit Dublin twice a year, the one thing that makes me smile when approaching Dublin is the sight of those chimneys and I am sure I am not the only one

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