Total spend on Four Courts dome will reach €5.8m

Scaffolding on the dome of the Four Courts. The Office of Public Works is expected to spend €5.8m on works on the dome of the Four Courts in Dublin this year, with almost a third of the spending going on scaffolding.

The Office of Public Works (OPW) is expected to have spent €5.8m on works on the dome of the Four Courts in Dublin by the end of this year, with almost a third of the spending going on scaffolding

In 2011, a section of one of the stone capitals, which support the dome, fell onto the roof of the Four Courts below, requiring catch netting to mitigate the risk.

Limited scaffolding was placed at a number of points to allow specialists to examine the issues, but it became evident a full scaffold was required to establish the full extent of the works.

Since 2015, the dome has been concealed by scaffolding and netting as the OPW completed enabling, investigative and repair works.

These preliminary works were completed by the end of July 2021, with the scaffolding to be dismantled in August and September of this year.

During the works, the OPW repaired gutters at the base of the dome, and completed a detailed stone-by-stone analysis, while a specialist protection system to the steel reinforcement of the concrete dome was installed.

Following the temporary works design to ensure the capitals could be relieved of their load-bearing role without any movement of the overall structures, the replacement capitals were carefully hoisted from the floor of the entrance rotunda and out onto the scaffold.

Further concerns

However, the condition of the removed section of old capitals raised further concerns, leading to further structural investigation to ensure the future long-term integrity and safety of the remaining capitals while retaining original historic fabric.

The next phase of works now being detailed will involve the replacement of a greater number of capitals than originally envisaged.

The steel angle above the capitals will also need to be replaced or repaired.

It is anticipated this phase of works will be tendered in early 2022 and commence on-site in autumn 2022.

This isn’t the first time the domes have undergone works, with the building having a long, cultured history.

Constructed between 1776 and 1796, the building was occupied by anti-Treaty forces in the 1922 Civil War.

The outer dome and inner dome above the entrance rotunda suffered extensive damage as a result of a major fire caused by shelling, with the original timber roof and much of the interior and exterior being destroyed.

An extensive restoration programme was carried out by the Office of Public Works, and completed in 1932.

Note: This article was updated on Aug 17 to clarify that €5.8m is the projected total expenditure of the works covering the period since their commencement in 2015 to the end of 2021, and not the expenditure for this year alone as originally stated. We are happy to correct the record.