High winds delay erection of Spire again

Engineers are readying themselves to install the fourth section of the Spire on Dublin's O'Connell Street.

Plans to lift the length of stainless steel into place this morning were abandoned as strong winds whipped up around the capital.

However, a Dublin City Council spokesman told ireland.comthat it was hoped the work could be carried out "within the next couple of hours".

If conditions remained favourable this evening, engineers will continue working for as long as is practical, he said. However, "health and safety is paramount at all times."

He said the plan was to have the final pieces in place in order to be able to make the final touches on the structure early tomorrow morning.

The first section was lowered into place by Europe's biggest crane on December 18th. However, the break for Christmas holidays and intermittent high winds have slowed further progress.

The lowest section of the stainless steel monolith is swathed in a plastic covering, which will be removed at the official unveiling, either at the end of this month or early next month.

The three-section long Spire currently stands at 53 metres. When finished, it will be 120 metres high, seven times the height of the surrounding buildings on O'Connell Street and twice as high as the capital's tallest building, Liberty Hall.