A \u201c300-tonne crane\u201d, rope-climbing access and a mounted platform have all been considered by Dublin City Council in an effort to remove a Palestinian flag attached to the Spire for the past seven months.<\/p>\n
The flag, first spotted near the top of the 120-metre O\u2019Connell Street landmark in September, could still be seen billowing on Sunday, albeit somewhat tangled in the hoop used to attach it.<\/p>\n
No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the flag\u2019s placement on the Spire, officially called the Monument of Light. The council has been considering an array of options to remove it since it was first spotted. These include \u201cclimbing the Spire\u201d using rope access equipment, according to internal correspondence seen by The Irish Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n Also considered was a vehicle-mounted access platform to reach the \u201chighest level possible\u201d of the 120m monument to remove the flag. This would entail a \u201cbespoke ladder\u201d being used to bridge the gap between the platform and flag.<\/p>\n However, a senior council engineer informed other council officials that access specialists were not comfortable pursuing those options due to the risks involved.<\/p>\n \u201cThey told us that they would only consider an option involving a mobile crane and a basket,\u201d he said in correspondence obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.<\/p>\n A proposal prepared by engineering and maintenance contractor Interact Services detailed how the use of a mobile crane would allow an engineer to access the flag without having to climb the Spire<\/a>.<\/p>\n The \u201c300-tonne crane\u201d would elevate a \u201cman basket\u201d carrying an engineer inside to reach and remove the flag attached some 101m above ground level.<\/p>\n The operation <\/a>would be carried out during night-time hours, likely at about 2am, to minimise disruption to traffic, businesses and pedestrians in the city centre, according to the proposal passed on to officials last November.<\/p>\n It would require a traffic management plan, including a lane closure of the southbound side of O\u2019Connell Street, alongside temporary crowd control barriers across both lanes.<\/p>\n