Assessment work is underway ahead of giving Poolbeg Towers a lick of paint

Published 11:32 28 May 2024 BST

Damn, even the Poolbeg Chimneys are having a summer glow up ⁠

Work has officially started on one of Dublin's most iconic symbols, the Poolbeg Towers. The towers will soon be getting back to their red-and-white glory, with work underway to give them a fresh lick of paint.

Visitors to the Sandymount and Great South Wall vicinity will have noticed in the last few years, that the colours of the chimneys were beginning to look pretty rusty and dull, no doubt sped along the way by being in such direct proximity to the Irish Sea and the sewage treatment plant beside it.

In a video shared on Instagram, the well-known videographer Majestic_Dublin shared an aerial view of the chimneys with workers on a makeshift platform moving up and down one of the towers.

Speaking to the Independent, Dermot Lacey, councillor for Pembroke and former Lord Mayor of Dublin, confirmed that the Poolbeg Towers will be maintained during the summer. ⁠"They haven’t been painted in a long time, they need a bit of freshening up,” he said, adding that "Dubliners like the chimneys, they’ve become iconic symbols of Dublin. They should be kept in good condition, it’s something I’ve been wanting for quite a long time, so I’m delighted."

Speaking to the publication a spokesperson for the Electricity Supply Board [ESB] who maintain the chimneys confirmed that the works were going ahead. Investigative works into the structural integrity of the stacks is scheduled to take place in the summer and repainting works during 2024 and 2025.

“ESB continues to work closely with Dublin City Council in relation to all future developments at Poolbeg, including the chimneys," the spokesperson said, "the Poolbeg site will play an important role in the delivery of ESB’s Net Zero by 2040 strategy as well as facilitating Ireland meeting its emissions reduction targets," they added.

The works which involve repairing and repainting the stacks is set to take two years and are set to cost up to €5 million according to a report by the Business Post.

The two distinctive red and white chimneys were built in 1969 and 1977. Standing over 207 metres high, they are a distinctive feature of the low-lying Dublin skyline. Part of the decommissioned Poolbeg Power generator which has been offline since 2010, and after proposals to knock them were floated the stacks were eventually listed as protected structures in July 2014.

Header image/ majestic_dublin/IG

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