Ireland's tallest round tower, the O'Connell Tower at Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, is to be reopened to the public tomorrow for the first time in almost half a century.

The tower, which is 55m tall, was built in 1855 to commemorate the Irish politician Daniel O'Connell.

It was once one of Ireland's greatest attractions and offered views of Dublin, Meath, Wicklow and the Irish Sea.

However, in 1971 the tower was forced to close after a large bomb exploded at its base, causing structural damage and destroying the interior staircase.

Work to restore the staircase began in 2016, using the original plans.

O'Connell Tower in Glasnevin to reopen after 47 years | https://t.co/fHDjqtQmWw pic.twitter.com/PvlT6LuMhX — RTÉ News (@rtenews) April 13, 2018

Chief Executive of the Glasnevin Trust George McCullough said: "It has been a long-held ambition of the Glasnevin Trust to reinstall the staircase.

"In our old minute books it is recorded how people from every corner of the globe once came to visit the O'Connell Monument, the grave of probably the greatest statesman of his era."

The newly installed staircase will allow visitors to ascend to the of top the tower where they will be greeted by spectacular views of the capital.

A new self-guided tour, comprising of a series of information panels detailing the life of Daniel O'Connell and the history of the tower, has also been installed.

Tours of the tower begin tomorrow and tickets are on sale today from www.glasnevinmuseum.ie.

O'Connell Tower in Glasnevin Cemetery @glasnevinmuseum is to reopen to the public after 47 years

Take a look back to 1971 when the Daniel O’Connell Monument was damaged in a bomb explosion https://t.co/Q8ZXkhZgzc — RTÉ Archives (@RTEArchives) April 13, 2018



