A project to restore the Four Courts dome has cost more than €4million after unforeseen complications in its refurbishment.
The project began in January 2015 but the Office of Public Works said it is not expected to be completed until at least 2022.
After scaffolding was put in place, the OPW inspected the capitals [the decorative top part of each column] that supported the dome structure and found severe decay.
As well as damage to the edges, the “load-bearing core” of the supports had also deteriorated significantly over the decades.
OPW spokesman John Cahill said the level of restoration required had become more extensive, the longer works had progressed.
He added: “The proposed work now being detailed will involve replacement of a greater number of Capitals than originally envisaged.
“Each capital assessment [is] in itself a separate exercise involving extensive alteration to scaffolding to provide support during each phase.”
Mr Cahill said the project had been further complicated by delays due to Covid-19 restrictions and also the limited availability of highly specialist stone carving skills to create replacements.
The decaying “capitals” date from when the Four Courts complex was constructed in the late 18th century.
During the Civil War, the building was extensively damaged with the original timber roof and much of the interior destroyed.
In 1932, the OPW had led a restoration programme which involved the construction of a reinforced concrete dome to replace the destroyed timber outer dome.
This project included the replacement of 24 external columns to the dome with new Portland Stone structures.
However, 22 of the 24 elaborately carved capitals were retained, and simply turned around so that the “less weathered” sides faced outwards.
In 2011, a section of one of the capitals fell onto the roof of the Four Courts below, which led to the installation of netting to catch falling debris.
Limited scaffolding was installed to check for damage but as the project moved on, it became clear that full scaffolding would be required to determine the extent of work needed.
Mr Cahill added: “The difficulty we have is knowing exactly how many capitals we will need to replace. That can only be [clear] as we check them and put them back. What has happened unfortunately is that the edges of the capitals are taking the weight and they can’t take it.
“That’s why we are ending up with more damage than you would like.”
In a statement, the OPW said it was not yet clear how much the final bill for the project would be.
A spokeswoman added: “As the remaining works will be part of a tender package once the numbers of capitals requiring repair or renewal is finalised, it is too early to establish a final cost estimate.”
