Dublin hotel inadvertently adopts name of slavery advocate

A hotel situated across the road from Trinity College Dublin (TCD) has been given a new name associated with a defender of the slave trade, just a day after the university announced it was “denaming” a library named after a former owner of slaves.

The Westin Hotel is to be “reimagined” as the Westmoreland Hotel following a multimillion euro investment, its owners announced, a day after TCD said it was “denaming” the Berkeley Library because of the association of the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher, George Berkeley, with the ownership of slaves.

“The multimillion investment programme included a stunning remodelling of the lobby and expansion of the hotel’s iconic atrium lounge, along with the creation of an additional space, the library, and 19 beautifully appointed bedrooms overlooking Trinity College and Westmoreland Street,” the hotel owners said in a press release announcing the hotel’s new name.

Westmoreland Street, which the hotel fronts on to, is named after John Fane, the 10th Earl of Westmorland who, as well as being a Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, was a defender of slavery and denounced attempts to end it in the House of Lords in London in 1799.

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[ Trinity College Dublin to ‘dename’ Berkeley library due to philosopher’s link to slavery ]

Three years ago the Dublin Green Party councillor, Janet Horner, suggested that a debate should be had about the origin of Dublin’s street names, giving Westmoreland Street as one street name that might be considered for change because of the Earl of Westmorland’s defence of slavery.

“I think it is a strange change,” she said of the rebranding of the former Westin Hotel, “especially in the context of the conversation we are having about the Trinity library. It is not a time to be entrenching the names of former landlords and defenders of slavery into our city.”

The Westmoreland Hotel is part of the US Marriott Group and is a member of the Irish-owned and managed MHL Hotel Collection.

“The Westmoreland Hotel is a modern five-star temple of luxury, created within three iconic buildings. These elegant former financial institutions stand proudly alongside the historic House of Lords and Trinity College. In their day, they helped shape the financial and political evolution of the city,” the press release said.

A request for a comment on the association between the Earl of Westmorland and the defence of slavery met with no response from the hotel group.