The Browne-Clayton monument in Carrickbyrne, Co Wexford - described by architectural historians as Ireland's grandest folly - has been fully restored with support from the World Monuments Fund and Wexford County Council.
The 95 ft (29 metre) granite column, a local landmark visible for miles around, had been in "severe danger of collapse" after being struck by lightning in December 1994. It is located off the N25 roughly half-way between Wexford and New Ross.
The only commemorative column of its kind with an internal stairway - as Nelson's Pillar had in Dublin - cost nearly €700,000 to restore over the past two years. This included a meticulous piecing together of its Corinthian capital, which alone weighs 32 tonnes.
Built in 1839 by Gen Robert Browne-Clayton, it was modelled on Pompey's Pillar in Alexandria to commemorate the defeat of Napoleon in Egypt in 1801. Browne-Clayton was a local landowner who served with British forces in the campaign.
After the 1994 lightning strike, a joint restoration group - the Wexford Monument Trust - consisting of the World Monument Fund, Wexford County Council and An Taisce - arranged for a survey and interim infilling of the breached column.
Under the supervision of Mr James Howley, of Howley Harrington Architects, the damaged capital was dismantled in September 2002 with the aid of an outsized crane. Each carefully numbered piece of granite was then laid out on the ground.
The shaft of the column, which stands on the side of a hill, was stabilised to prevent collapse. A later phase involved cutting replacement stones, straightening and rebuilding the damaged part of the shaft and finally replacing the capital.
Substantial donations came from the Robert Wilson Challenge, which is administered by the World Monuments Fund, and Wexford County Council, with other funding from the Department of the Environment, the EU, the Heritage Council and private donors.
The World Monuments Fund has worked with local communities to rescue more than 400 important sites in 80 countries, including such iconic monuments as Angkor Wat, Petra and the Valley of the Kings.
Headfort House, Co Meath, is to be its next project in Ireland.
