Written answers
Tuesday, 28 November 2023
Department of Public Expenditure and Reform
Heritage Sites
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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228. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the OPW will consider referencing the connection of Red Hugh (Hugh Roe/ Aodh Ruadh) O’ Donnell to Dublin Castle in guided tours and information points at the castle; and if the OPW will consider erecting a plaque at Dublin Castle to commemorate this great leader in Irish history, similar to the plaque erected by Valladolid City Council in Spain in his memory. [52512/23]
Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The story of Red Hugh (Hugh Roe/ Aodh Ruadh) O’ Donnell is already mentioned in the tour of the State Apartments and will feature even more prominently in the new exhibition that will open in the newly refurbished Record Tower in the summer of 2024.
The information available to the OPW suggests that Red Hugh escaped one of the two guard towers on Castle Street by means of the garderobe and fled via the town ditch. These towers are long demolished and have been replaced by elements of the conference centre. Given the fact that this area is largely inaccessible to the public, it is the view of OPW that the memory of Red Hugh will be better preserved through the stories of the tour guides and the interpretive display in the museum.
The OPW will give consideration to the installation of such a plaque on or near the location of Red Hugh's escape.
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