America is currently in the middle of a heated debate over what to do with its cities monuments to Confederate leaders.
Many cities throughout America have statues to leaders who fought for the right to own slaves and attempted to secede from the Union. Despite losing, there are many tributes to such soldiers outside statehouses and in city centres throughout the country.
Now the debate has spilled over into Ireland, where a Galway Councillor has said that a plaque in honour of an Irish Confederate soldier Commander Richard ‘Dick’ Dowling, who helped defeat Union forces at the Second Battle of the Sabine Pass in 1863. The tribute is currently on show in Tuam Town Hall.
Councillor Shaun Cunniffe has said that he doesn't believe that the plaque should be destroyed, "rather removed and placed in a more appropriate setting, like a museum," according to the
Connacht Tribune.
Many major cities in America, such as Baltimore and Lexington (KY) have ordered that their Confederate statues being taken down and moved.
