The spire on the church of St John the Baptist, Seafield Road West, Clontarf was built between 1864 and 1866 at the time the church was constructed. It stands 45 metres tall (150 feet) and is a readily identifiable landmark for people arriving in Dublin by boat or in the air. The spire is thus over 140 years old and has not had to have any major repairs carried out on it since the after effects of being struck by lightning in 1899.
A few years ago an investigation was carried out into the condition of the spire. The subsequent report referred particularly to the condition of the stone work at the top of the spire. This has been damaged over the years, mainly by the finial rod and wrought iron cross trees which are built into the stone work. These have expanded due to rust and the corroded cross has in turn expanded and displaced the stonework at the apex of the steeple. The report confirmed that the spire is not in danger of falling down!!
However there was a slight concern that loose debris and stone work could fall from the top of the spire although there is no record of any material ever falling from the spire. Thus a cantilever scaffold was erected just in case, to catch any loose material that might fall. The scaffold covers the top 10 metres of the spire and has become known as “the skirt around the spire”.
The parish is now proposing to undertake the necessary repair work. This will involve removing about eight courses of stonework at the top of the spire, taking down the cross and repairing it, reinstating the cross and the stone work, and cleaning down and repointing the joints to the whole spire. It will be necessary to erect scaffolds and hoarding around the spire and tower. The estimated cost of the work is €180,000 and the parish is investigating sources of funding and grants, which are less available in these difficult times. The parish very much appreciate any contributions towards the cost of repairing the spire.
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