THIS WATER FEATURE WAS REPLACED IN 2023-2024 WHICH IS A PITY
THIS WAS KNOWN AS THE ORB FOUNTAIN OR INVISIBLE AND IT WAS BY TINA O'CONNELL [PHOTOGRAPHED JULY 2018]
A Tale of Three Fountains: The Changing Face of Waterford's People's Park
The ‘In-Visible’ fountain by artist Tina O’Connell, often known simply as The Orb, photographed in July 2018.
For years, my visits to the beautiful People's Park in Waterford were marked by the changing state of its central water feature. I remember seeing the magnificent Orb fountain working, but more often than not, it sat still and silent. Its eventual replacement in 2024 prompted me to look deeper into the story of this specific spot, and what I found was a fascinating civic and artistic history stretching back over 140 years.
The site has acted as a unique canvas for the city's evolving identity, hosting three distinct fountains. The journey from an ornate Victorian monument of the 1880s, through a minimalist optical sculpture for the new millennium, to an interactive display of water jets and light today, encapsulates a much broader narrative of change.
Part I: The Victorian Era – Grandeur and Decay
The story begins in 1883 with the installation of the park's first fountain. The People's Park, established in the 1850s on drained marshland, was a quintessential Victorian creation. Features like the bandstand (1869) and two Russian cannons captured during the Crimean War had already been installed, and the fountain was another powerful statement of civic pride.
Historical accounts describe a "magnificent Victorian water fountain"—a grand, tiered structure featuring three classical male figures, or Atlantes, supporting an upper basin from which water jetted upwards before cascading into a shallow pool. This pool became a play area for local children, cementing the fountain's role as a lively social hub.
This grand monument represented the peak of the park's Victorian development. But, like many such structures, it eventually fell into decline. The complex cast-metal mechanics were prone to corrosion and costly to maintain. As tastes changed, the will to restore it likely diminished, and it was eventually dismantled, leaving the site empty for many years.
A Sole Survivor's Journey
Remarkably, the story of the original fountain doesn't end there. One of the Atlantean figures was saved from the scrapheap and placed in storage. Decades later, on 18 May 1984, it was unveiled as the centrepiece of a new, smaller fountain near Wise's Bridge. After that feature was also decommissioned, the figure was moved again, this time to the courtyard of the Granary, where it became known as the 'Granary Statue'. Displayed atop an old mill wheel, its feet were broken and its surface marred by graffiti—a poignant survivor bearing the physical scars of time and a testament to a fragmented legacy.
Part II: A Contemporary Vision – The 'In-Visible' Orb (2002-2023)
In 1999, Waterford City Council commissioned a new fountain for the 21st century. The project was awarded to artist Tina O'Connell, whose vision was a radical departure from the past. Titled ‘In-Visible’, but quickly nicknamed the 'Orb Fountain', her goal was to create a piece that resonated with Waterford's world-famous glass-making heritage.
The concept was to create a "crystal ball" for the park that would act like a camera obscura. The powerful optics of the two-metre sphere would capture real-time, inverted images of its surroundings—the trees, the sky, and people walking past—projecting them onto its surface. The art was not just the object itself, but the dynamic, ever-changing image of the world it presented.
Realising this vision was a formidable technical challenge. Creating a solid glass sphere of that size proved prohibitively complex and expensive. Instead, O'Connell found an ingenious solution: a hollow, two-metre sphere made from optically advanced acrylic, originally designed as a deep-sea diving bell. By filling this shell with a constant stream of filtered water, she could create a form that was optically equivalent to solid glass.
The final sculpture was a minimalist masterpiece. The transparent sphere sat on a large, circular platform of black Kilkenny marble, with water cascading evenly over its surface into the basin below, creating a beautiful contrast of light, texture, and sound.
A State of Disrepair
My memory, like that of many locals, is that the fountain was dry and in a state of disrepair from 2018 onwards. By the early 2020s, it was clear the problem was serious. Council officials later explained that the pandemic had caused initial delays, but the artwork's bespoke filtration and mechanical systems required specialist assessment. The Orb, which was designed to make the world visible anew, had become a highly visible monument to the challenges of maintaining ambitious public art. Its failure was not one of artistic vision, but of the immense practicalities of long-term stewardship.
Part III: A New Chapter – The 2024 Refurbishment
After years of inactivity, a new chapter began. On 29 May 2024, a brand-new fountain was unveiled. Designed and installed by Fountainworks of Navan at a cost of €160,000, it represents a pivot towards a more conventional, yet technologically modern, design. A 7-metre stainless steel ring is fitted with 88 individual water jets, enhanced by a dynamic, colour-changing light display. It's a pragmatic solution, engineered for reliability and visual appeal.
Continuity and Change
Crucially, the refurbishment retained the circular black Kilkenny marble platform from the 'In-Visible' installation. This act of preservation is hugely significant. It creates a direct physical link between the two eras, preventing the complete erasure of Tina O'Connell's work. The platform now acts as a historical marker—an archaeological footprint of the art that once stood there. It creates a palimpsest where one layer of history is built directly upon another.
The official reception has been enthusiastic, celebrating a "wonderful addition" to the park. Public reaction seems positive, with a general sense of relief that the water is flowing again. For my part, while I appreciate that the site is active once more, I must admit to being less than impressed. The new design, though pretty, feels generic and lacks the artistic weight and conceptual intrigue of the Orb. Reliability has been gained, perhaps at the expense of uniqueness.
The history of this single spot is a compelling story of civic identity. From Victorian grandeur to minimalist art and now to functional spectacle, the fountain reflects the changing values of its time. Thanks to the retained marble base, that layered history remains visible, a silent testament to what came before, even as the water flows in a new and vibrant pattern.
A Tale of Three Fountains: The Changing Face of Waterford's People's Park
The ‘In-Visible’ fountain by artist Tina O’Connell, often known simply as The Orb, photographed in July 2018.
For years, my visits to the beautiful People's Park in Waterford were marked by the changing state of its central water feature. I remember seeing the magnificent Orb fountain working, but more often than not, it sat still and silent. Its eventual replacement in 2024 prompted me to look deeper into the story of this specific spot, and what I found was a fascinating civic and artistic history stretching back over 140 years.
The site has acted as a unique canvas for the city's evolving identity, hosting three distinct fountains. The journey from an ornate Victorian monument of the 1880s, through a minimalist optical sculpture for the new millennium, to an interactive display of water jets and light today, encapsulates a much broader narrative of change.
Part I: The Victorian Era – Grandeur and Decay
The story begins in 1883 with the installation of the park's first fountain. The People's Park, established in the 1850s on drained marshland, was a quintessential Victorian creation. Features like the bandstand (1869) and two Russian cannons captured during the Crimean War had already been installed, and the fountain was another powerful statement of civic pride.
Historical accounts describe a "magnificent Victorian water fountain"—a grand, tiered structure featuring three classical male figures, or Atlantes, supporting an upper basin from which water jetted upwards before cascading into a shallow pool. This pool became a play area for local children, cementing the fountain's role as a lively social hub.
This grand monument represented the peak of the park's Victorian development. But, like many such structures, it eventually fell into decline. The complex cast-metal mechanics were prone to corrosion and costly to maintain. As tastes changed, the will to restore it likely diminished, and it was eventually dismantled, leaving the site empty for many years.
A Sole Survivor's Journey
Remarkably, the story of the original fountain doesn't end there. One of the Atlantean figures was saved from the scrapheap and placed in storage. Decades later, on 18 May 1984, it was unveiled as the centrepiece of a new, smaller fountain near Wise's Bridge. After that feature was also decommissioned, the figure was moved again, this time to the courtyard of the Granary, where it became known as the 'Granary Statue'. Displayed atop an old mill wheel, its feet were broken and its surface marred by graffiti—a poignant survivor bearing the physical scars of time and a testament to a fragmented legacy.
Part II: A Contemporary Vision – The 'In-Visible' Orb (2002-2023)
In 1999, Waterford City Council commissioned a new fountain for the 21st century. The project was awarded to artist Tina O'Connell, whose vision was a radical departure from the past. Titled ‘In-Visible’, but quickly nicknamed the 'Orb Fountain', her goal was to create a piece that resonated with Waterford's world-famous glass-making heritage.
The concept was to create a "crystal ball" for the park that would act like a camera obscura. The powerful optics of the two-metre sphere would capture real-time, inverted images of its surroundings—the trees, the sky, and people walking past—projecting them onto its surface. The art was not just the object itself, but the dynamic, ever-changing image of the world it presented.
Realising this vision was a formidable technical challenge. Creating a solid glass sphere of that size proved prohibitively complex and expensive. Instead, O'Connell found an ingenious solution: a hollow, two-metre sphere made from optically advanced acrylic, originally designed as a deep-sea diving bell. By filling this shell with a constant stream of filtered water, she could create a form that was optically equivalent to solid glass.
The final sculpture was a minimalist masterpiece. The transparent sphere sat on a large, circular platform of black Kilkenny marble, with water cascading evenly over its surface into the basin below, creating a beautiful contrast of light, texture, and sound.
A State of Disrepair
My memory, like that of many locals, is that the fountain was dry and in a state of disrepair from 2018 onwards. By the early 2020s, it was clear the problem was serious. Council officials later explained that the pandemic had caused initial delays, but the artwork's bespoke filtration and mechanical systems required specialist assessment. The Orb, which was designed to make the world visible anew, had become a highly visible monument to the challenges of maintaining ambitious public art. Its failure was not one of artistic vision, but of the immense practicalities of long-term stewardship.
Part III: A New Chapter – The 2024 Refurbishment
After years of inactivity, a new chapter began. On 29 May 2024, a brand-new fountain was unveiled. Designed and installed by Fountainworks of Navan at a cost of €160,000, it represents a pivot towards a more conventional, yet technologically modern, design. A 7-metre stainless steel ring is fitted with 88 individual water jets, enhanced by a dynamic, colour-changing light display. It's a pragmatic solution, engineered for reliability and visual appeal.
Continuity and Change
Crucially, the refurbishment retained the circular black Kilkenny marble platform from the 'In-Visible' installation. This act of preservation is hugely significant. It creates a direct physical link between the two eras, preventing the complete erasure of Tina O'Connell's work. The platform now acts as a historical marker—an archaeological footprint of the art that once stood there. It creates a palimpsest where one layer of history is built directly upon another.
The official reception has been enthusiastic, celebrating a "wonderful addition" to the park. Public reaction seems positive, with a general sense of relief that the water is flowing again. For my part, while I appreciate that the site is active once more, I must admit to being less than impressed. The new design, though pretty, feels generic and lacks the artistic weight and conceptual intrigue of the Orb. Reliability has been gained, perhaps at the expense of uniqueness.
The history of this single spot is a compelling story of civic identity. From Victorian grandeur to minimalist art and now to functional spectacle, the fountain reflects the changing values of its time. Thanks to the retained marble base, that layered history remains visible, a silent testament to what came before, even as the water flows in a new and vibrant pattern.
