Sir, – Contrary to the inadvertent suggestion in Frank McNally’s Irishman’s Diary (Saturday, August 3rd), I did not suggest the 13th-century Dublin city seal depicted a single, three-turreted Dublin Castle. I said the city seal depicts three watchtowers surrounding one of the gates in the medieval city wall, with sentries and archers as described in the article.
A leaflet on the Dublin City Coat of Arms published by the then Dublin Corporation, with data from Dublin City Archives, suggests the representation is symbolic, probably not depicting any particular event.
At some point the three watchtowers became three separate castles, each with three battlemented towers and the sentries and archers replaced by flames. The leaflet states the castles are not on fire, the flames symbolising the willingness of the citizens to defend the city.
Senan Molony has obviously given the matter some thought. He has suggested the “burning castles” represent three separate sieges of Dublin. An explanation, which if confirmed by the City Archive Department, would be welcomed by Dublin city tour guides as a much more exciting version than the official explanation – burning castles that weren’t burning, just symbolism. A point long lost on Dubliners.
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Without official approval however, Senan Molony’s excellent suggestion just becomes another urban myth at variance with the official version, which surely must take precedence. –
Yours, etc,
ED COGHLAN,
Co Dublin.