Should the Spire be renamed after Nelson Mendela?

wretcheddomain

Apparently it's under consideration from the "Commemorative Naming Committee":

Dublin City Council will meet today to discuss plans to rename Dublin's Millennium Spire after the late Nelson Mandela.

The Irish Times reports that a special committee, the Commemorative Naming Committee, will discuss the issue raised by Lord Mayor Oisín Quinn following a suggestion by a member of the public, Fiachra Ó Luain.

Mr Ó Luain appealed to Quinn saying that it would be a "fitting tribute" and pointed out the spire's proximity to the Dunnes Stores on Henry Street where workers boycotted fruit from apartheid South Africa in the 1980s.

Former South African President Mandela was made a Freeman of Dublin City in 1988. Following his release from prison in February 1990, he flew to Ireland to accept the honour in person. The reasons provided by the council are insufficient as many countries could claim the same things.

Chairperson of the committee Dermot Lacey has said that while there is an existing rule that monuments can only be dedicated to people 20 years after their death “everything was up for discussion”.

http://www.rte.ie/ten/news/2014/0115/497950-nelson-pillar/

I think it would be a horrible name. It's known as the Spire and it should be kept as such. Nothing wrong with its current name and I fail to see the connection on why Dublin would commemorate a monument to this man, however admired.

Mandela Monument anyone?

griffdaddy

Could call it 'Nelson's Pillar'?

whirlpool

Never gonna happen.

Hande hoche!

Not to get overly nationalistic but there is plenty of Irish people to name it after. I would agree with you OP, keep it as the spire.

GLaDOS

It's a non runner because he's not dead 20 years apparently

kneemos

Yeah if they put an arrow head on top.

gobnaitolunacy

Why do we have to name stuff after dead people all the time?

humanji

gobnaitolunacy wrote: »

Why do we have to name stuff after dead people all the time?

Because the majority of the living are assholes.

"because it's near a dunnes stores that boycotted fruit"

Sweet mother of jesus.

*shakes head*

Hande hoche!

gobnaitolunacy wrote: »

Why do we have to name stuff after dead people all the time?

Statues are quite expensive.

Eight Ball

Oh ffs. "Look at us Irish over here". gob sh1tes

Mr.McLovin

call it the syringe and move it to Talbot street

danniemcq

Terrible idea.

The spire is seen all over the place as an Irish thing, calling it after someone who was a terrorist/freedom fighter in another country is pointless.

Why not name it after Bobby Sands, Wolfe Tone, Michael Collins, Robert Emmet?

Fratton Fred

I'd be in favour of naming something after Nelson Mandela, as long as it isn't a piece of bland art.

Seedy Arling

Call it Berties Prick.

Supercell

He was a wonderful man, but what did he do for the Irish State, are they erecting statues to Irish greats down there?
Sorry but this is political correctness gone mad.
There are plenty of irish figures that it could be named after. As others have already said , why?, whats wrong with the Spire anyhow?

uch

DannieHasABrazilian wrote: »

Terrible idea.

The spire is seen all over the place as an Irish thing, calling it after someone who was a terrorist/freedom fighter in another country is pointless.

Why not name it after Bobby Sands, Wolfe Tone, Michael Collins, Robert Emmet?

Tone & Emmett have bridges named after them, Collins an Army Barracks/Museum, so it'd have to be The Sands Stand

Duggy747

Name it Robocop.

Fratton Fred

On the subject of Mandela and Ireland, wtf was Larry Mullens on about at the Golden Globes?

funk-you

Commemorative Naming Committee? F*ck off. Saps. Lets go around naming everything after people who have really vague connections to Ireland.

It's like that stupid JFK speech on repeat in Terminal 2 in Dublin. 'Look! A foreign lad who's done well for himself is linked to us...Jump on it lads, milk it.'

Are we really that desperate for validation? Name it after some nurse working her arse off in James' or some auld lad breaking his bollocks for his family. It would be a much better tribute reflecting good in our country.

-Funk

upandcumming

I don't think anything should be named after him after Only Fools and Houses.

Riamfada

Rename the flats to Nelson Mandella House

SEPT 23 1989

The Crean Spire

wretcheddomain

And what the hell gives Dublin City Council the right to name it whatever they want? Surely something as important as this should be determined by majority vote, especially given that it was good enough for that citizen to suggest the name in the first place.

I think it should be called Enda's Appendage.

cml387

Tha Atari Jaguar Spire?

syklops

funk-you wrote: »

Commemorative Naming Committee? F*ck off. Saps. Lets go around naming everything after people who have really vague connections to Ireland.



-Funk

To be fair to them, they are only considering it because one guy, possibly the one guy who voted yes in the pollabove wrote to the Lord Mayors office suggesting the change, and rather than say "No, don't be ridiculous", the Mayor simply moved it up the chain.

Same committee have already said its not happening because he is not dead 20 years.

SEPT 23 1989

wretcheddomain wrote: »

And what the hell gives Dublin City Council the right to name it whatever they want? Surely something as important as this should be determined by majority vote, especially given that it was good enough for that citizen to suggest the name in the first place.

how much is this little cabal costing the taxpayer?

Commemorative Naming Committee:rolleyes:

Fratton Fred

Riamfada wrote: »

Rename the flats to Nelson Mandella House

Mange Tout Riamfada, mange tout.

wretcheddomain

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

how much is this little cabal costing the taxpayer?

Commemorative Naming Committee:rolleyes:

Which committee came up with the name of that committee! :eek:

RobertKK

Maybe Dublin city council could rename themselves as stupid.

"Today stupid city council decided to discuss if they the stupid city councillors should rename the spire after Nelson Mandela, one stupid city councillor who proposed it said it was a great idea, other stupid councillors agreed"

the groutch

Nothing more than political opportunism from councillors seeking re-election in a few months.

Renegade Mechanic

griffdaddy wrote: »

Could call it 'Nelson's Pillar'?

Post of the day!

Czarcasm

Shaft!

Well, it cost enough to put up there, now it's costing more to come up with a new name for it, certainly epitomises the concept.

Gyalist

No, it should not be renamed. I was involved with the IAAM and picketed that store and the George's Street branch in support of the Dunnes' Stores workers but I disagree with it being renamed.

SEPT 23 1989

wretcheddomain wrote: »

Which committee came up with the name of that committee! :eek:

outsourced it to the consultants only cost us 2 million:D

bkelly86

They should should sell the naming rights to it and make a few euro out of it.

P_1

Stupid idea. Surely the council has better things to focus on like the Victorian piping system that drinking water goes through

Hande hoche!

bkelly86 wrote: »

They should should sell the naming rights to it and make a few euro out of it.

The Aviva spire?

rubadub

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

how much is this little cabal costing the taxpayer?

Commemorative Naming Committee:rolleyes:

The knock on effects of renaming it would probably be huge too, probably loads of admin renaming maps & documents to be updated.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spire_of_Dublin

Nelson's Pillar stood on the site of the Spire until it was destroyed by a bomb in 1966

I never knew it was on the exact spot.

Renegade Mechanic

Hande hoche! wrote: »

The Aviva spire?

HEh heh, I can just imagine Mario Rosenastock on an ad for it.
"de AW-VEE-VAW spire".

ScissorPaperRock

Jesus AHers are a cynical bunch.

It was a suggestion by someone who felt that Mandela's values resonate well with those of the Irish.

Just because he wasn't directly connected in a strong way with Ireland, it doesn't mean we can't commemorate his character as something we could aspire to as individuals, and his values as something that we recognise other leaders and humans in general should aspire to.

We can be so inward looking at times, it's a bit sad.

poundapunnet

griffdaddy wrote: »

Could call it 'Nelson's Pillar'?

:D:D:D

I was sure the linked article would be from Waterford Whispers or something. It'd be an act of exceptional trolling/foolishness to associate that site with the name Nelson. Maybe the councilor was taking the piss?

gandalf

Not sure what Mandela did to deserve having an architectural monstrosity named after him!

syklops

ScissorPaperRock wrote: »

Jesus AHers are a cynical bunch.

It was a suggestion by someone who felt that Mandela's values resonate well with those of the Irish.

Just because he wasn't directly connected in a strong way with Ireland, it doesn't mean we can't commemorate his character as something we could aspire to as individuals, and his values as something that we recognise other leaders and humans in general should aspire to.

We can be so inward looking at times, it's a bit sad.

Subtle pun?

RobertKK

I am sure the Qatari government would sponsor it, given their human rights abuses, it could be called the Qatari prick.

Simon Gruber Says

The name should be reserved for some massive pr1ck

Pumpkinseeds

Can I for one just add my two cents worth and say Ah FFS, what kind of gobsh*tes come up with these ridiculous ideas? Give it a couple of months and the media will have changed tacks from Mandela the hero to Mandela the low life. There's enough Mandela statues etc in South Africa since he died. Lets leave it at that.

We need to send them our Aid money, after all multiple statues of Mandela didn't come cheap and are far more important than people starving to death or dying from Malaria or Aids:rolleyes:

RandomName2

ScissorPaperRock wrote: »

Jesus AHers are a cynical bunch.

It was a suggestion by someone who felt that Mandela's values resonate well with those of the Irish.

Just because he wasn't directly connected in a strong way with Ireland, it doesn't mean we can't commemorate his character as something we could aspire to as individuals, and his values as something that we recognise other leaders and humans in general should aspire to.

We can be so inward looking at times, it's a bit sad.

Alternatives:

The Mother Theresa Spire
The Louis Armstrong Spire
The Oprah Winfrey Spire (she's not dead, but who cares)
The Princess Diana Spire
The Mahatma Gandhi Spire
The Rosa Parks Spire
The Guy-With-the-Shopping-Bags-on-Tiananmen-Square Spire

Plazaman

If they want to honour Mandela, they should name it after the prison he was interred in for 26 years, what will all the Robben there is around the area.....

*cough

*looks for coat, robbed

anncoates

If it has to be named after somebody, let it be an Irish person.

It's an Irish monument, not a 80s students union bar.

Vito Corleone

Should call it the "British Isles' Spire". :pac: