Dublin’s docklands were thronged with visitors, and the sight of so many international tall ships moored along Sir John Rogerson’s Quay was simply an amazing and beautiful sight. So it was very apt that the unveiling of the relocated statue of Foxford native, Admiral William Brown, took place during this festival.
The chairman of the Admiral Brown Society, Gus O’Hara, acted as master of ceremonies. Later, in a tribute to his late brother JJ, he stated: “He more than anyone else over the past 25 years was responsible for highlighting the name of Admiral Brown in Ireland. JJ had travelled to Argentina to find out more about his hero and returned with a passion for Admiral Brown that would transform not only Foxford, but Ireland’s relationship with a country more than 10,000 kilometres away. But for Brown, Argentina would not have won independence from Spain, nor preserved it in subsequent wars.”
After the event Oliver Murphy, PRO of the Admiral Brown Society in Foxford, said: “The Admiral Brown Society are delighted with the new location of the statue of Admiral Brown here in Dublin. It gives expression to the importance of Admiral William Brown and reflects his achievements on behalf of his adopted country of Argentina, while serving to raise his profile here in Ireland – the land of his birth.”
