N81 Glenview Roundabout Sculpture Installation

On Monday 6^th October 2025, work commenced on the installation of a sculpture on the Glenview Roundabout on the N81 in Tallaght.

The public art commission complements SDCC’s N81 Landscape Improvement Scheme, along one of the county’s main transport corridors; connecting significant numbers of commuters with Dublin city centre and only a few minutes from the national motorway network. 

Proposals were sought for a distinctive gateway piece that celebrates Tallaght and  marks the main avenue of approach into the town centre; the business and residential heart of SDCC. Following a procurement process the artist selected was Liam O’Callaghan whose response to the artist brief was as follows:

This large-scale, contemporary sculpture reflects both the Gothic spiked roofline of the 8th century St.Maelruan’s church to more contemporary developments of the 1970s and 1980s to the present day. The lines of the sculpture also reflect an interlinked network of streets, which hold a community connected by many points, this in turn mirroring the function of a roundabout and the purpose of the N81 itself. Networks are brought to life by those that engage with and live with in them. This process is reflected the artwork.

The artwork functions strongly as a visual experience from all angles creating an energy and dynamism as the viewer circumnavigates the sculpture. The delineated, transparent appearance of the structure is constantly connecting it to its surroundings, as views of the mountains and surrounding environment are being framed and reframed into new compositions as the forms overlap and interconnect. The transparent nature of the sculpture, while connecting the viewer to its surroundings, is also sensitive to the need to accommodate vehicular sight lines and not impinge on traffic movement and safety.This artwork reflects the contemporary components that make up Tallaght town centre today. The colours selected were originally based on the colours in the stained glass windows in St. Maelruan’s Church. At the same time the bright, vibrant colours within the sculpture represent the colourful diversity that makes up the local community. The materials and process used in constructing the sculpture make it durable and timeless.”

This artwork is funded by South Dublin County Council’s 3-year capital budget and was procured in accordance with the Percent for Art scheme. 

Clifton Scannell Emerson Associates and Austen Landscape Architects have carried out the planning and design work on this project to date. Construction work on site is being carried out by Clonmel Enterprises Ltd.

For further information contact Communications Unit, South Dublin County Council, County Hall, Tallaght, Dublin 24 on communications@sdublincoco.ie