Mulligan motion should be withdrawn, says councillor who brought it
Cllr Yvonne Boyle has called on the amendment passed at the Leisure and Development Committee to be withdrawn.
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An Alliance councillor whose original motion sparked controversy over its subject s history as a slave owner has called for it to be withdrawn ahead of tonight s full council meeting.
An amendment to Alderman Yvonne Boyle s proposal at last month s Causeway Coast and Glens Leisure and Development Committee meant the council committed to explore the establishment of a heritage trail to Hercules Mulligan.
Mulligan, thought to have been born in Coleraine, was one of the American founding fathers and his character featured in a recent Broadway musical, Hamilton, on the subject.
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Objections have been lodged against moves to celebrate Hercules Mulligan in the Causeway Coast and Glens area.
It comes after records showed he owned a slave after helping to set up an anti-slavery society.
Mulligan s family emigrated to America in 1746, when he was six. He went on to spy on the British during the American War of Independence and in 1785 was a founder member of the New York Manumission Society, which campaigned to abolish slavery.
According to official US records, however, he still owned a slave five years after establishing the organisation, with one even living with his family.
Alliance councillor Yvonne Boyle, who proposed that Mulligan be recognised through local heritage trails, said she knew he had owned a slave before she put forward the motion.
Last modified on Fri 19 Feb 2021 00.31 EST
Hercules Mulligan, the 18th-century tailor, spy and US revolutionary, is soon to become a Northern Ireland tourist attraction.
The emigrant who helped clinch America’s independence by spying on British officers and reputedly saving the life of George Washington has been honoured in his native land.
The Causeway Coast and Glens borough council has decided to recognise Mulligan in heritage trails, a rather modest tribute but one that reflects renewed fascination with his exploits two centuries ago.
Mulligan, was born in Coleraine, County Derry, in 1740 and as a boy moved with his family to New York. In the 1770s he sided with those resisting British rule and used his job as a tailor to gather intelligence from British officers who discussed military operations while being fitted for uniforms.
Subject of council heritage motion may have been a slave owner derrynow.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from derrynow.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.