THE HISPANO-IRISH ASSOCIATION &
RED HUGH O´DONNELL
In Valladolid, from years ago different events have taken place to highlight the figure of Red Hugh O’Donnell and his value in Valladolid’s city.
In the 1991 a Plaque is placed in Simancas Castle in the memory of Red Hugh. In 2002 the O’Donnell Clan bring together in Valladolid descendant members from the Clan, ones from Ireland, others from the United States and some from Spain to commemorate 400 years after Red Hugh’s death.
Plaque placed in 2001 en el Castillo de Simancas Castle (Valladolid.Spain) in the memory of Red Hugh O´Donnell
Gathering of members of O´Donnell Clan in Valladolid
2008: THE ASSOCIATION IS BORN
The Hispano-Irish association is created in Valladolid. It´s the first Association with these characteristics, as a meeting point between the Irish and the Spanish communities through their common history, their music, their people, their tourism, their companies.
In 2007, the 400th anniversary of the Flight of the Earls was commemorated in Ireland, when the clans went to ask for help to Catholic Spain and Italy, against English protestant invaders. They were 2 factions based on the vision each of them had of the world and on an opposing national and imperial philosophy.
Before the Flight of the Earls, 5 years earlier, Red Hugh O’Donnell, leader of the powerful O’Donnell Clan from Ireland, had decided to come in person to the capital of Spain, Valladolid, to meet King Philip III to request him to send more troops to Ireland.
He stays in Simancas’s Castle (on the outskirts of Valladolid) where he dies few days later.
Philip III gives him a Royal burial as a sign of respect with a funeral procession that will depart from the Royal Palace in Saint Paul’s square in Valladolid to Saint Francis’s Monastery where he had asked in his will to be buried when he died.
2009: HI! GOLDEN DIGITAL PRIZE
Castille and Leon’s regional government honours Hispano-Irish Association with the top award, alongside the newspaper “El Norte de Castilla”, the digital prize for “Spanish language diffusion”.
Carlos Burgos President of the Hispano-Irish Association collect the digital prize of the Junta of Castile and Leon (Regional Goverment).
Reception with President of Ireland, Mary McAlesee, and the Irish Ambassador, Justin Harman, and Carlos Burgos.
2011 Octubre.VALLADOLID´S PLAQUE (the first one).
Hispano-Irish help with the Irish Embassy, and its Ambassador Justin Harman, with the City Hall of Valladolid, wich Mayor then was León de la Riva, the instalation of a Plaque in memory of Red Hugh O´Donnell, in the “Callejón de San Francisco” (alley).
2011, THE IRISH PRESIDENT.
Saint Patrick´s Day celebrations: Hispano-Irish attends a reception with the President of Ireland, Mary McAlesee, and also with the Ambassador Justin Harman, and the Minister Simon Coveny; where they discuss the subject of Red Hugh O´Donnell.
Meeting with the Mayor of Valladolid, León de la Riva, and historian Hugo O´Donnell, and the Ambassador Harman,
The Culture Secretary of State of the Spanish Goverment, Jose Mª Lassalle, the director of Simancas Archive, Eduardo Pedruelo, the Ambassador Harman, the Mayor of Simancas, the President of the Diputación of Valladolid, and the President of Hispano-Irish.
2013 PROMOTION OF SPANISH-IRISH RELATIONS EXHIBITION.
Hispano-Irish offers a proposal to the Director of Simancas Archive which involves the possibility of diffusing the archives of the historical relations between Spain and Ireland. This goes ahead with the help of the Ministry of Culture and the collaboration of the Simancas Archive and the Irish Embassy. An interesting investigation is carried out by the Irish historian Ciaran O´Scea, an exhibition is created and the archives are catalogued.
2019: SEARCHING FOR RED HUGH´S TOMB
In the summer, the visit of a retired commander from the Irish Army, Brendan Rohan, searching for the tomb of Red Hugh, motivates investigators Juan Carlos Urueña and Oscar Burón to try to locate the burial site in Saint Francis´s Monastery.
The investigation is conclusive that the Chapel of Wonders housed the remains of Red Hugh O´Donnell in the same place where the remains of Admiral Christopher Columbus were.
The team with the two investigators and the two archeologists.
The Dig discover the Chapel of the Marbels (St Francis Monastery) and eighteen skeletons.
2020, THE DIG STARTS
At the beginning of the year, a project development team is created in which the researchers and the Director of the Local Archive of Valladolid, Hispano-Irish and the City Council’s Culture Area intend to carry out the excavation research. To which are added archaeologists Olatz Villanueva from the Simancas Institute and Jesús Misiego from the Strato Company.
The investigation concludes that the Chapel of Wonders housed the remains of Red Hugh O´Donnell in the same place where the remains of Admiral Christopher Columbus were.
On the 18th of April of 2020 with the sponsorship of Valladolid’s Town Hall (Culture department) the archaeological excavations begin.
Infography of what the façade of the San Francisco Monastery would be like (by Juan Carlos Urueña)
A bilateral bilingual portal
Hispano-Irish aims to be the REFERENCE PORTAL in Spain and Ireland for everything that has to do with both countries, their cultures, their common history, their languages, their leisure.
THE IDEA (in 2008)
400 years ago in Ireland the so-called Flight of the Earls took place. The Irish leaders left their Island under British pressure, to seek help from their natural allies. Red Hugh O’Donnell would arrive in Spain in 1602, specifically in Simancas (Valladolid), to contact the King of Spain, Philip III.
The idea of creating this Association arose from the anniversary of the Flight of the Earls and its connection with Valladolid. But above all for the passion that Ireland raises in Spain, and for the eternal Spanish-Irish brotherhood.
The Hispano-Irish Association emerged in Spain as a project that promotes relations between our Community and the Island of Ireland at a popular level, but today it has opened its doors to the rest of Spain. The dissemination of Spanish language in Ireland and English laguage in Spain will be, together with the dissemination of the common history of Spain and Ireland, the cornerstone on which Hispano-Irish is founded.
Spanish language, English language, Common History, Rural Tourism, Travel to Ireland, Universities, Cultural Events, Music, Dance, Training, Employment, wines, Crafts, Climate. We hope to be able to cover everything we can. We will work from both sides of the sea, and we will seek the relationship with the Spanish speakers of America and with the Irish descendants in the United States.
You are invited to participate.
We have a place for you and your initiative.
Do you dare to leave your mark? Participate: info@hispano-irish.es
