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Bomb

Photos: On this day in 1966 Nelson’s Pillar in O’Connell Street was blown up

At approximately 1.30am on 8 March a bomb exploded on Dublin’s main thoroughfare.

ON THIS DAY in 1966 Nelson’s Pillar, the 121 foot high column that stood tall in Dublin’s O’Connell Street was blown up by the IRA.

No one was hurt in the explosion, but many people remember and tell stories about where they were when the bomb exploded.

The front page of the Irish Times on 8 March 1966 read:

The top of Nelson Pillar, in O’Connell street, Dublin, was blown off by a tremendous explosion at 1.32 o’clock this morning and the Nelson statue and tons of rubble poured down into the roadway.
By a miracle, nobody was injured, though there were a number of people in the area at the time.

Sackville Street

The pillar was first erected in the capital’s main thoroughfare in 1808, dedicated to navy man, Admiral Lord Nelson. The pillar commemorated Admiral Nelson’s victories at sea.

On top of the column stood a 13 foot high statue of Nelson.

The Millennium Spire, completed in 2003, now stands in the same spot that Nelson’s pillar once did. The monument stands at over 395 feet.

Photos: On this day in 1966 Nelson’s Pillar in O’Connell Street was blown up
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  • A half demolished Nelson's Pillar

  • The remains of Nelson's Pillar on O'Connell Street, 1966.

    Source: PA Archive/Press Association Images
  • The remains of Nelson's Pillar on O'Connell Street, 1966.

    Source: PA Archive/Press Association Images
  • The remains of Nelson's Pillar on O'Connell Street, 1966.

    Source: PA Archive/Press Association Images
  • Traffic on O'Connell Street, Dublin, showing Nelson's Pillar on June 14, 1961

    Source: AP/Press Association Images
  • Nelson's Pillar on June 14, 1961.

    Source: AP/Press Association Images
  • Nelson's Pillar, circa 1900

  • Scene from the Easter Rising. In the background is Nelson's Pillar.

    Source: PA Archive/Press Association Images
  • View form the top of Nelson' Pillar, 1921

  • The head of Nelson, from the famous Pillar, which went on display in Dubin in 2005

    Source: PA Archive/Press Association Images
  • Millennium Spire

    Source: PA Image/Haydn West
  • Dublin's Millenium Spire

    Source: PA Archive/Press Association Images

Many people still remember the day that the bomb went off, why not tell us your memories in the comments section below.

Photos: On this day in 1993 a bomb exploded at the World Trade Center New York>

Read: 18 years ago: Northern Ireland as the IRA ceasefire began>

In pictures: The 20th anniversary of X Case protests>

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