7 Most Chaotic Irish Building Projects that Define the Celtic Tiger Era
The mysterious portal on North Earl Street has recently reopened, prompting much confusion and debate among Dubliners. Its sudden appearance has made us ponder the many ambitious and chaotic Irish building projects that sprang up during Ireland’s Celtic Tiger period.
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Most Chaotic Irish Building Projects
Here’s a look at seven of the most memorable (and sometimes absurd) Irish building projects that were proposed during Ireland’s economic boom, each illustrating the era’s characteristic mix of optimism and folly.
1. Cable Car Attraction Over the Liffey
In 2006, Barry Boland proposed the Suas, a cable car system over the River Liffey. This ambitious project envisioned four towering structures along the river, with cable cars providing a unique 20-minute, €15 ride from Heuston Station to the docklands.
Despite Boland’s enthusiasm, the €90 million project never materialised, as it failed to secure necessary approvals and funding. The Suas remains a testament to the grand, unfulfilled dreams of the Celtic Tiger era and one of the many notable Irish building projects.
2. The U2 Tower
When the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) sought to regenerate the area in the late 90s, U2 and their management proposed a 130-metre skyscraper featuring a tilted triangle design. The U2 Tower would have housed the band’s recording studio in an egg-shaped structure at its peak.
Despite the grandiose €200 million plan, the financial crash of 2008 led to the project’s demise before construction could begin, leaving Dublin without its intended iconic skyscraper and marking it as one of the many ambitious yet failed Irish building projects.
3. The Park in the Sky
Developer Joe O’Reilly’s 2008 Dublin Central scheme included a “park in the sky,” a green space on the roof of a 12-storey triangular building. This ambitious project was part of a larger plan to revitalise O’Connell Street with high-end retailers, apartments, and cultural spaces.
Estimated at over €1 billion, the scheme promised 3,000 jobs. However, by the time it received planning permission in 2010, the park in the sky had been scrapped, reflecting the project’s overly optimistic nature and earning its place among the most notable Irish building projects of the Celtic Tiger era.
4. Stadium Ireland – The Bertie Bowl
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s vision for a sports campus in Abbottstown, known as the Bertie Bowl, included a 65,000-seat stadium, sports halls, tennis courts, and more. With an estimated cost of €1 billion, the project was seen as unnecessary given Dublin’s existing facilities like Croke Park.
In the end, the project was abandoned in favour of constructing the Aviva Stadium on Lansdowne Road. Some features of the original proposal were later developed on the site, but the grand vision of the Bertie Bowl never came to fruition, making it one of the most ambitious Irish building projects that never materialised.
5. The Millennium Clock
In the run-up to the year 2000, the Irish National Lottery installed the Millennium Clock under the River Liffey. This six-tonne, £250,000 clock was meant to count down to the new millennium. However, it quickly earned the nickname “The Chime in the Slime” due to its poor water resistance, visibility issues, and eventual coating of green sludge. After nine months of ridicule, the clock was removed, highlighting the era’s penchant for ill-conceived Irish building projects.
6. Las Vegas-Style Casino
Businessman Richard Quirke proposed a massive casino complex in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, in 2010. The Tipperary Venue was to feature a casino, a hotel, a racecourse, and even a replica of the White House. Estimated at €460 million, it faced local opposition and new gambling laws that thwarted its original vision.
Although a revised sports-focused plan was approved in 2013, the project’s grandiosity was significantly scaled back, placing it among the many Irish building projects that were scaled down or abandoned.
7. White-Water Rafting Site
In 2021, Dublin City Council considered converting a docklands building into a €25 million white-water rafting facility. Proposed by avid kayaker Owen Keegan, the plan included rapids, canoe polo, and emergency rescue training. Public and political backlash quickly followed, viewing it as an impractical vanity project.
Despite attempts to reframe the proposal as a general water sports facility, the idea never progressed, reflecting the ongoing struggle to balance ambition with practicality in Irish building projects.
