The State is to pay for a plaque commemorating one of the founding fathers of Ulster unionism, it was confirmed today.
The move follows the mysterious disappearance of a memorial to Edward Carson at his birthplace in central Dublin.
The founder of the original Ulster Volunteer Force and renowned barrister, immortalised in the statue that defiantly jabs his finger over Belfast from Stormont, was fiercely opposed to Home Rule in Ireland.
He was also notorious in both the legal and literary worlds for his devastating skills as the lawyer who destroyed the reputation of fellow Dubliner Oscar Wilde during an infamous libel trial in London
But after a bronze plaque marking the house on Harcourt Street where he was born a century and half ago went missing earlier this year, the Government became involved.
A spokesman for the Department of Environment confirmed it would make an exception to its policy of not paying for memorials as a gesture to unionists and because Dublin Tourism did not have the money.
"The decision was made by the previous minister [Dick Roche] because of the North/South dimension, and that obviously carries on," the spokesman added.
The plaque is expected to cost around €1,500 is to be replaced on the side of the building that now houses the Pie Dish restaurant, as part of Stephen's Green Hotel.
Buried in St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast, he was the only person ever to receive an official state funeral in Northern Ireland.