Connolly’s Folly
The towering structure in this year’s Christmas in Dublin logo is not technically inside the city of Dublin. It is, however, darn close standing only 14 miles from Dublin in the suburban town of Leixlip.
Its exact location has been a subject of controversy for over 200 years. The Obelisk was commissioned by Catherine Connolly, the widow of William Connolly, the Speaker in the Irish House of Commons. “Speaker” Connolly is said to have been the richest man in Ireland at the time of his death. The Connollys lived at Castletown House in nearby Celbridge.
About 1739, Ireland fell into a terrible period of famine. In a sincere effort at charity, Mrs. Connolly decided to have the obelisk built as a relief effort to provide local employment. She offered to pay the workers in either money or food.
The 140-foot Obelisk was to be the focal point for a grand avenue to the rear of Castletown. Unfortunately when the monument was finished, Mrs. Connolly’s neighbor, the Duke of Leinster pointed out that the Obelisk was located on his land not hers! Though the Obelisk may not have been in the right place, Mrs. Connolly’s heart definitely was.
It is in that spirit of compassion and giving that we include Mrs. Connolly’s Folly on our Christmas site because that is, in truth, the Spirit of Christmas. Our compassionate Father in Heaven looked down on us 2000 years ago to find that we were all just short of hitting the mark and sent us a wondrous Gift who forever stands in the gap for us. We hope you will forgive our stretching the geography just a bit since He stretches His Grace much further than that to cover us all.
(In the 1960's the building was restored and is now cared for by the Leixlip Boy Scouts.)
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