Dating back to 1809, the centerpiece of a city-center boulevard now called O’Connell Street was the Nelson’s Pillar. The monument to Horatio Nelson, a vice admiral in the Royal Navy, was destroyed by the Irish republicans in 1966. In 2003, the Spire of Dublin was completed in the same location. This 398 foot, stainless steel Monument of Light is considered to be the world’s tallest sculpture.