Spire ceremony marks 9/11 deaths

An artist's impression of the new cathedral spire

A landmark spire at St Anne's Cathedral, designed to light up Belfast city, will be dedicated on 9/11.

It will be officially dedicated on 11 September, the anniversary of the 2001 terror attacks in America in which nearly 3,000 people were killed.

The 100-metre high stainless steel needle was commissioned by Dean Houston McKelvey as a beacon of hope.

"It is simply the demonstration, on a world scale, of what we went through," Dean McKelvey said on Tuesday.

"It altered the way America, in particular Irish America, thought about terrorism - that it was no longer acceptable and that there had to be a better way of solving difficulties and disputes.

"That message came very clearly across from America to many of our politicians here and in Dublin."

Dean McKelvey said he was not seeking to apportion blame or score points.

"I am just, as a Christian, delighted to see people who were adversaries and who were prepared to go into armed conflict, in dialogue and in partnership."

The dean said he did not believe the £850,000 structure would bring many more people through the door of the cathedral on Donegall Street.

But he hoped it would prove an icon for the city and the wider community in Northern Ireland.