WhowasMacAodh Bhuidhefromthe Plunketts?

The name (in Irish) of a player puzzled the Louth G.A.A. Executive on Sunday. The signature on the form was Mac Aodh Bhuidhe, a player seeking transfer from” Drogheda Oliver Plunkets to a Dublin club. After struggling vainly to interpret the name, the Executive referred it to the Oliver Plunket’s club for identification of the player. conjunction with the Old Drogheda Society, the ceremony aimed to pay a fitting tribute to a man who may not be famous locally but who won widespread reknown in South America and played a key role in the foundation of the state of Ecuador.

The ceremony, which was designed to mark the approaching bicentenary of Wright’s birth, was attended by several of his descendants from Drogheda as well as a host of local dignitaries and a representative from the Ecuadorean embassy.

Plans to erect a plaque in Wright’s memory were mooted as early as the 1950’s but they only finally came to fruition this week with the erection of the memorial to mark the point at which Wright left Ireland for South America.

Those who spoke at the ceremony included Sean Collins, Chairman of the Old Drogheda Society, Mr.Eddie Quinn, Mayor O’Brien- Campbell and the Ecuadorean Consul, Ms.de Cleary.

All spoke glowingly of the force of character which drove Wright to South America to fight Spanish imperialism, in particular Ms. de Cleary who insisted that she was ‘privileged to be a part of this unique event.’ She also commented on the extra difficulties Wright must have faced as a foreigner in Ecuador’s fight for freedom and paid tribute to the particular qualities which led him to achieve what he achieved - to become a founder of our state.’

Another of those who addressed the assembled crowd was John De Courcy-Ireland who spoke at length about the story of Wright’s life form his birth in Drogheda to his death in South America.

He also expressed his hope that the occasion would raise Wright’s profile in his native town and that ‘ the people of this historic borough will be as aware as they should be of the contribution this man has made.’

Mayor Maria O’Brien- Campbell spoke after the unveiling of her ‘great pleasure’ that Thomas Wright was finally honoured fully for the way in which he served the fight for freedom in Ecuador ‘with great distinction’.

Kevin Wright spoke to the Drogheda Independent afterwards of the family’s feelings. ‘We’re very proud of what Thomas Charles did and we’re proud to be Wrights too.

‘ My father always spoke to us of him when we were growing up. My grandfather was actually the last of the Wrights to go to sea - once Drogheda got industrialised, everyone went into the factories.’

‘ My father only had one brother and he had no children so my father made up for it by having 11 children. Five of us are boys so only for him there would be no Wrighis left in Drogheda today.’