Fusiliers' Arch
Áirse na bhFiúsailéirí[1] | |
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| 53°20′23″N 6°15′38″W / 53.33965°N 6.26052°W | |
| Location | Northwest corner of St Stephen's Green, Dublin |
|---|---|
| Designer | John Howard Pentland, Thomas Drew |
| Type | Memorial arch |
| Material | Granite, limestone, bronze |
| Height | 9.9 metres (32 ft) |
| Completion date | 1907 |
| Dedicated to | Royal Dublin Fusiliers who died in the Second Boer War |
The Fusiliers' Arch is a monument which forms part of the Grafton Street entrance to St Stephen's Green park, in Dublin, Ireland. Erected in 1907, it was dedicated to the officers, non-commissioned officers and enlisted men of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers who fought and died in the Second Boer War (1899–1902).
Construction
[edit]Funded by public subscription, the arch was designed by John Howard Pentland and built by Henry Laverty and Sons.[2] Thomas Drew consulted on the design and construction.[2]
The proportions of the structure are said to be modelled on the Arch of Titus in Rome.[3] It is approximately 8.5 m (28 ft) wide and 10 m (33 ft) high.[a][4][5] The internal dimensions of the arch are 5.6 m high and approximately 3.7 m wide (18 by 12 ft).[4][6]
The main structure of the arch is granite, with the inscriptions carried out in limestone and a bronze adornment on the front of the arch.[7]
Dedication and reception
[edit]The arch was commissioned to commemorate the four battalions (two regular and two militia) of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers that served in the Second Boer war.[6][8] The names of 222 dead are inscribed on the underside of the arch.[9][4]
The construction of the arch coincided with a time of political and social change in Ireland, and the colonial and imperial background to the dedication were anathema to a burgeoning nationalist movement – who labelled the structure "Traitor's Gate".[10][11][12] Though damaged in a cross-fire between the Irish Citizen Army and British forces during the 1916 Easter Rising,[9][13] the arch remains "one of the few colonialist monuments in Dublin not blown up" in Ireland's post-independence history.[10][12]
Text
[edit]Engraved on the western face is the Latin text, Fortissimis suis militibus hoc monumentum Eblana dedicavit MCMVII, "To its strongest soldiers, Dublin dedicates this monument, 1907." (Eblana is a name that appears on Ptolemy's 2nd century AD map of Ireland, traditionally taken as a Latin name for Dublin, although it more likely refers to a site further north, around Loughshinny.) Six battlefields are inscribed on the arch:
- Talana: Battle of Talana Hill, 20 October 1899
- Ladysmith: Battle of Ladysmith, 30 October 1899
- Colenso: Battle of Colenso, 15 December 1899
- Tugela Heights: Battle of the Tugela Heights, 14–27 February 1900
- Hartshill: Hart's Hill, 23 February 1900, part of the Relief of Ladysmith
- Laings Nek: Laing's Nek was the scene of intense fighting, 2–9 June 1900. Not to be confused with the more famous Battle of Laing's Nek (1881)[14]
Notes
[edit]- ^ A plaque alongside the arch reads: "The Arch was constructed of Irish granite with the inscriptions carried out in limestone by Laverty & Sons from Belfast. The Arch stands 32 feet 6 inches in height and 27 feet and 3 inches in width"
References
[edit]- ^ "St Stephen's Green Park | The Office of Public Works |".
- ^ a b "Dictionary Of Irish Architects – Royal Fusiliers' Memorial Arch". Dia.ie. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
- ^ "Fusiliers' Arch in Dublin, Ireland". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
- ^ a b c "Irishwarmemorials.ie – PDF with transcription and notes on inscriptions" (PDF). Irishwarmemorials.ie. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
- ^ Brabazon, Reginald (1924). Memories of the Twentieth Century. Murray.
The arch is 32 feet 6 inches in height, and the breadth 27 feet 3 inches, the proportions being exactly the same as those of the [Arch of Titus]
- ^ a b Brück, Joanna; Tierney, Andrew (2009). "Landscapes of Desire. Parks, colonialism and identity in Victorian and Edwardian Ireland" (PDF). Report to the Heritage Council for Project No. 16785: 45. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2013.
- ^ "Fusiliers' Arch, Saint Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Dublin". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
- ^ Cecil Francis Romer and Arthur Edward Mainwaring (1908). The Second Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers in the South African War. Project Gutenberg eBook. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
- ^ a b "Irishwarmemorials.ie – Fusiliers' Arch entry". Irishwarmemorials.ie. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
- ^ a b McCracken, Donal P. (2003). Forgotten Protest: Ireland and the Anglo-Boer War. Ulster Historical Foundation. p. 148. ISBN 9781903688182. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
- ^ Jeffrey, Keith (9 November 2000). Ireland and the Great War. p. 116. ISBN 9780521773232.
- ^ a b Murray, Christopher (2004). Seán O'Casey: Writer at Work : a Biography. Gill & Macmillan Ltd. p. 74. ISBN 978-0773528895.
- ^ Casey, Christine (2006). Dublin: The City Within the Grand and Royal Canals and the Circular Road, with the Phoenix Park. Yale University Press. p. 533.
- ^ "RDF–annotated AS,TB". guide.jamieoneill.com.
