Those pesky American tourists

It seems to be something of a tradition on blogs, especially the conservative ones, that when you're stuck for material, one just trolls through the letters pages of newspapers looking for inspiration (usually in the form of a fringe opinion from a letter writer that is then taken as representative of all of one's opponents). Anyway, finding ourselves stuck for material we did indeed decide to take a look at that redoubt of fringe opinions, the letters pages of the Irish Times, and sure enough, there is a nice "controversy" underway, prompted by a letter by an American tourist a couple of days ago:

As an American student of Irish history, I am enjoying a summer in Ireland visiting its many historical sites and monuments...It was while on a walkabout in the town of Trim that I spotted a huge column at the top of one of the main streets...I was greatly amazed to find that the person commemorated by this imposing monument was none other than Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington...Now, while recognising the importance of the Trim connection with this British prime minister and conqueror of Napoleon, I think it very odd that modern Ireland retains this opponent of Catholic Emancipation and Repeal of the Union in such a prominent position in a major Irish town.

I have read of how Nelson was removed from O'Connell Street in Dublin in the 1960s. [The IRA blew it up]
...Surely in Ireland, 2003, you could find a more peaceful means to remove this reactionary figure from the Trim monument, and replace him with a son or daughter of your country.

Inevitably, such a letter was just begging for a response and indeed we had posted about the Duke and his Trim monument ourselves around the anniversary of his victory of the Battle of Waterloo. For the present purpose the basic issue is that the Duke was an Irishman. One letter today notes his birth in Dublin and goes on to suggest (we think sarcastically):

Perhaps we should move the monument to Europe as they may be more appreciative than the people of his native land.

The writer goes on to note that it is incorrect to say that the Duke opposed Catholic Emancipation as PM -- he in fact came around in its favour and was disgusted when the King undermined it by conspiring with opponents to water it down; Catholics with assets were given the vote but then the monetary threshold to have the vote was substantially raised, undercutting much of the impact of the reform. As for the Duke's monument, our view is that it should stay right where it is, as a reminder of the complexities and ironies of Irish history. There's also the practical matter that parking in Trim is so bloody difficult as it is, without having to work around the elaborate project that would be removing the monument.