ONLY three days after it was switched on to great fanfare, the Millennium Clock has disappeared from the River Liffey. Hundreds of puzzled Dubliners and visitors were practically falling into Anna Livia yesterday trying to get a look at the National Lottery's £250,000 clock, which is supposed to float just beneath the surface of the river near O'Connell Bridge.
They were bitterly disappointed to find it was gone. It had been removed and nobody seemed to know where it was hidden or if it would return. There was confusion and no shortage of Dublin explanations as to where "the Chime in the Slime" might be hiding. According to one observer "I've heard of moving statues, but this is ridiculous".
The true story is less dramatic. A spokesman for the National Lottery said there was no cause for worry. The clock would be returning to its berth after Easter. It had to be removed to make way for the boat races.
But where has it gone? He didn't know. But if the National Lottery doesn't know where its own clock is, who does? The spokesman said he would know today. He would not be able to get in touch with the engineer who was in charge until today.
Would it have to be taken out again when the Liffey swim was taking place? He wasn't sure of that, but felt they might be able to move it sideways so that it did not interfere with the swimmers. It's something that would be looked at in the future.
You know Dubliners, they like to blame something new for whatever goes wrong. The previous innovation was the Floozy in the Jacuzzi, which was blamed for increasing the litter on O'Connell Street. Now some anglers are warning that the work over recent weeks in installing the clock has frightened away the fish.
Not so, said the voice of the Lottery. "Everyone who uses the river was consulted about the clock, including anglers. We are now part of the great river family and we will do all we can to facilitate everyone. We listen to everyone's point of view. There haven't been any problems."
About 10,000 people turned up on Friday night to see the formal switching on of the clock by the Minister for Finance, Mr Quinn. The event, which was accompanied by a spectacular fireworks display, was relayed live on the Late Late Show. The Lotto spokesman said the temporary removal of the clock would not affect the timer in the least. It would not miss a second.