The plaque, which was erected as a joke two years ago, will be removed during restoration works on the bridge later this summer.

The plaque itself is not believed to have caused any damage to the bridge, having been placed into a hole that already existed.

It is believed that art students were responsible for the prank, which went unnoticed for two years despite being on the city's main bridge. The plaque commemorates a fictional priest, who supposedly died after his carriage plunged into the river Liffey in 1919.

Dublin City Council was unaware of the plaque when alerted to its presence by the Sunday Tribune in early May. A search of council records revealed that it had no record of a plaque to anyone called Fr Pat Noise.

It was later confirmed that the plaque was a hoax and those responsible subsequently sent a video of the plaque being installed to RTE.

It is believed that the plaque is a tribute to the artist's father, and that the name 'Fr Pat Noise' is a play on the Latin 'pater noster', which translates as 'our father'.

The plaque has become a popular reference point for Dubliners and tourists and there appears to be widespread support for keeping the hoax plaque in place.

A spokesman for the planning department of Dublin City Council said a conservation contractor will begin work on the site later in the summer. "Fr Pat Noise is definitely going, " he said.