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20th December 2016
12:10am GMT
Not many people have been talking about the plans to temporarily remove the Spire to facilitate the 1916 celebrations, as reported by RTÉ last year.
According to the report, the decision was made because "organisers hope to recreate the streetscape of 100 years ago", and the cost of the two-week removal was estimated at €500,000.
But if you're surprised to have missed such a key detail of the centenary programme, then there's good reason for that – a reason that becomes abundantly clear once you check the date on the article, and see it was in fact published on April 1, 2015.
Of course, there's no need to let such facts get in the way of a good rant – and sure enough, the story has enjoyed a second life in recent weeks, being shared widely around social media by people who are under the impression that the story is the real deal.
This particular post, on a Right2Water event page, has been shared nearly 2,600 times over the last two days – and that number is still... um, rising.
Oh dear.
The comments are split between people expressing vitriolic rage over the ineptitude of the government, and others gleefully informing the masses that they've been had by a year-old prank.
In particular, this baffling exchange is a thing of online beauty:
And this one:
The internet at its very, very best.
(h/t Jean Coughlan)
