Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 December 2023
74. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the current status of the statues of the Earl of Carlisle and Field Marshall Gough which formally resided in the Phoenix Park until being damaged in the 1950s; if the OPW retain ownership of them; and if plans are in place for their future use in a cultural institution. [55502/23]
View answerMy officials have advised me that the Earl of Carlisle Statue has been erected in Castle Howard in Yorkshire which is his ancestral home and the statue of Field Marshall Gough has been erected at Chillingham Castle in Northumberland which is the home of Sir Humphrey Wakefield.
Both statues have been restored and the restoration of the Gough Monument was the subject of a Channel 4 documentary some years ago. Neither of these statues are owned by the Irish State.
There are no plans at present to purchase either statue but this situation may be reconsidered should they become available for sale in the future.
