Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

726. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will make contact with the Spanish Government to offer assistance to Valladolid City Council and the team undertaking works to locate the resting place of Red Hugh O’Donnell (details supplied); and if she will pursue the objective of returning the remains back to County Donegal. [9787/20]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department's National Monuments Service and colleagues in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade are in regular contact with their Spanish counterparts and local authorities in Vallodolid in relation to this case.

I understand that the excavation team is currently compiling a detailed report for Valladolid City Council outlining the results of the archaeological investigations that have taken place, including the recording of the remains of some 15 individuals. While to date there is no archaeological or scientific evidence that the remains of Red Hugh O'Donnell have been discovered, I am aware that his dying wishes were be buried in Valladolid, as recorded in his last will and testament.

My Department will maintain its ongoing contact with the project over the coming weeks. Whatever the final outcome, the interest there is in the case in both countries again highlights the very strong historical connections between Spain and Ireland that still echo today.