Major Dick Dowling Plaque in Tuam
Ireland
By Contested Histories Initiative •
Richard ‘Dick’ Dowling was an Irish-born emigrant to the United States who became famous for
his military exploits for the Confederacy in the American Civil War. In 1998, his American
descendants unveiled a plaque on the wall of Tuam town hall to commemorate him in his place of
birth. In 2017, following increased scrutiny of the continued presence of Confederate war
memorials in southern cities of the United States, local Councillor Shaun Cunniffe called for the
plaque’s removal. This was debated by Tuam Municipal Council, who ultimately decided the
plaque should remain in place, pending its potential future removal to a proposed – but, as yet,
unbuilt – Town Museum.
For the case study click here.
