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The
Wellington
Monument
(Irish:
Leacht
Wellington),
or
more
correctly
the
Wellington
Testimonial,
is
an
obelisk
located
in
the
Phoenix
Park,
Dublin,
Ireland.
The
testimonial
is
situated
at
the
southeast
end
of
the
Park,
overlooking
Kilmainham
and
the
River
Liffey.
The
structure
is
62
metres
(203
ft)
tall,
making
it
the
largest
obelisk
in
Europe.
The
Wellington
Testimonial
was
built
to
commemorate
the
victories
of
Arthur
Wellesley,
1st
Duke
of
Wellington.
Wellington,
the
British
politician
and
general,
also
known
as
the
'Iron
Duke',
was
born
in
Ireland.
Originally
planned
to
be
located
in
Merrion
Square,
it
was
built
in
the
Phoenix
Park
after
opposition
from
the
square's
residents.
The
obelisk
was
designed
by
the
architect
Sir
Robert
Smirke
and
the
foundation
stone
was
laid
in
1817.
In
1820,
the
project
ran
out
of
construction
funds
and
the
structure
remained
unfinished
until
18
June
1861
when
it
was
opened
to
the
public.
There
were
also
plans
for
a
statue
of
Wellington
on
horseback,
but
a
shortage
of
funds
ruled
that
out.
There
are
four
bronze
plaques
cast
from
cannons
captured
at
Waterloo
–
three
of
which
have
pictorial
representations
of
his
career
while
the
fourth
has
an
inscription.
The
plaques
depict
'Civil
and
Religious
Liberty'
by
John
Hogan,
'Waterloo'
by
Thomas
Farrell
and
the
'Indian
Wars'
by
Joseph
Robinson
Kirk.
The
monument
is
referenced
throughout
James
Joyce's
Finnegans
Wake.
The
first
page
of
the
novel
alludes
to
a
giant
whose
head
is
at
"Howth
Castle
and
Environs"
and
whose
toes
are
at
"a
knock
out
in
the
park
(p.
3)";
John
Bishop
extends
the
analogy,
interpreting
this
centrally
located
obelisk
as
the
prone
giant's
male
member.[6]
A
few
pages
later,
the
monument
is
the
site
of
the
fictional
"Willingdone
Museyroom"
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