PRESENTED BY THE URBAN CARTOGRAPHER
Usually when I photographed this it is/was in poor condition and while it was in reasonable condition there was a lot of debris in the water. In July 2018 it was dry and may have been undergoing maintenance. According to some accounts it has been replaced in 2023 or 2024 – I will confirm if this is true when I visit in August 2025.
In 1999, the artist Tina O’Connell was commissioned to create a new fountain on the same site as a former Victorian-style tiered fountain that had fallen into disrepair. As such, Tina’s contemporary sculpture is also a fully functioning fountain. Following an extended period of research and development into materials, ‘In-Visible’ was finally sited and fully installed in 2002.
‘In-Visible’ (2001) is/was a contemporary sculpture that incorporates a water feature. Inspired by the connection between Waterford City and the world-famous Waterford Glass industry, O’Connell’s work consists of a very large transparent acrylic sphere (2 metres in diameter), over which clear running water continuously flows. It is positioned on a large, circular platform made from black Kilkenny marble. The work is locally known as the ‘Orb Fountain’.