Historic monuments are relics of the past that serve an aesthetic and educational purpose. They contribute to a country’s economy by encouraging tourism. Game of Thrones’ Aidan Gillen is trying to protect Wilton Square, a famous historic park in Ireland. Gillen and his partner, singer and actor, Camille O’Sullivan have criticised the country’s largest commercial property developer over attempts to change the name of the historic Georgian park in Dublin city centre.
The couple claim IPUT is attempting to rebrand Wilton Square. It is small park in front of the company’s major, new high-rise office near the Grand Canal. Gillen said IPUT was engaged in ‘what feels like a big exercise in rebranding’.
He and O’Sullivan are among a large number of local residents who have also objected to controversial physical changes proposed by IPUT to the park. Although Wilton Square is used by the public, it is in the ownership of IPUT.
Under its updated plans, IPUT wants to create several new entrances to the park. They want to close one existing access point as well as remove a large number of trees. Gillen and O’Sullivan claimed IPUT’s plans would interfere with the historic nature of the park and push it towards a ‘campus/business district feel’. They claimed the removal of a dozen trees was unnecessary and being done ‘for cosmetic reasons’.
O’Sullivan is also a qualified architect. She questioned the need for four access points to the small park. She criticized their proposed four-metre openings which she feared was to facilitate vehicles.
Gillen recently talked about his humble beginnings in the acting world. What do you think about the issue? Talk to us in the comments below!
