The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has fuelled the controversy surrounding the Monument of Light, the 120-metre spike to be built on O'Connell Street, Dublin, by saying he was undecided on the merits of its design.
"I can't say I like it until I actually see it on the street. I'm not saying I don't like it." But, he said, "I quite frankly find it very hard to visualise what it will look like."
He was speaking at a sod-turning ceremony in the capital to mark the start of the construction of the €4 million monument, previously known as the millennium spire.
While he refused to be drawn on the merits of its design, Mr Ahern said he supported the development. "I believe if you put a team of experts together, you have an international competition, the best one wins, and you do it."
In celebrating the start of construction, Dublin City Council yesterday announced plans to build 27 small retail kiosks along the length of the city's main thoroughfare.
The kiosks, designed by London-based architects Bloc, will incorporate cafés, newspaper stands, florists, and WC and toilet facilities. The first unit, a café, is due to be built outside the GPO next January.
The initiative forms part of a €350 million rejuvenation programme for O'Connell Street, €300 million of which is being provided by the private sector.
The city manager, Mr John Fitzgerald, said an important element was the introduction of new planning controls which would allow the council to block the establishment of unsuitable retail outlets on the street. Among these, he listed "pound shops, takeaways and late-night shops".
Work on the spire is due to be completed within six months. Foundation works will take place until August when a large crane for the erection of the monument will be installed.
The spire will arrive in pre-made sections in September and is due to be fully installed by the end of that month. On its completion, work will begin on a new civic plaza in front of the GPO.
The area will be formally enclosed by square-cut trees, and will be paved with granite slabs extending the full width of O'Connell Street between Henry Street and Princes Street.
The Dublin Lord Mayor, Cllr Michael Mulcahy, said he believed the spire would become "internationally famous like some of the greatest monuments in the greatest cities in the world".
Mr Ahern said the street had the capacity "to be the backbone of modern 21st century Dublin, and to be a flagship of our prosperity and creativity."
"It should be inclusive. It should be open, accessible and safe. It should look to the future while celebrating the past. I believe that this rejuvenation will be all of these things.
He added that he could recall a time when people stayed away from the city centre. Now, up to a quarter of a million people socialised there at weekends, and while this brought some problems, "as one Dub, I would prefer to see it that way than the way it was".
