Anna Livia was further immortalised in a sculpture erected on the site of Nelson's Pillar as part of the Dublin Millennium celebrations in 1988. The sculpture quickly became known as The Floozie in the Jacuzzi.
Nelson's Pillar had occupied the site since 1809, commemorating Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo. It was regarded at the quintessential monument of the British Empire. It was blown up in 1966 by the political descendants of Theobald Wolfe Tone, leader of the 1798 rebellion of the United Irishmen.
In a case of history repeating itself, the Floozie was moved on from the city centre in 2001 to make way for the Spire. In the mid 1920s, several hundreds of floosies had been moved out of the city centre and many relocated to Benburb Street. This Floozie was homeless until 2011, when she was also relocated to Benburb Street, and in particular the Croppies Memorial Park.
The 'Croppies' were the United Irishmen of 1798, and Croppy's Acre is the location of a mass grave of croppies executed following the failed rebellion. It is regarded as sacred ground by the National Graves Association, while Wolfe Tone is regarded as the father of Irish republicanism. The name 'croppies' comes from the favoured hairstyle of the French revolutionaries, a symbolic stance against the flowing wigs of the aristocracy.
The 'Croppies' were also known as 'Pikemen' as their favoured weapon was a long stick with a metal pike at the top. The folly of fighting an opponent with superior armoury, as seen in the resounding defeat of the United Irishmen at Vinegar Hill, Co. Wexford, is captured in the words of the late Seamus Heaney in his poem Requiem for the Croppies - "shaking scythes at cannon".
We do not know what the Croppies would make of the Floozie now resident in the Memorial Park. Neither do we know what Wittgenstein would make of her. What we do know is that Wittgenstein wrote his most influential work, Philosophical Investigations, while residing at the hotel adjacent to the Memorial Park, and also that he took pictures of Dublin from the top of Nelson's Pillar.
Perhaps Wittgenstein was inspired by the legacy of Wolfe Tone when he wrote "If we take eternity to mean timelessness, then eternal life belongs to those who live in the present".
The cache is a camouflaged plastic container beneath a few small stones, accessible from the street. Just as well, as the 'acre' has been closed since 2012, as the OPW stated that "resources are not sufficient to keep the park clear of dangerous materials" and including used syringes.