Ballygally Castle

JAMES SHAW established himself in the early 1600s at Greenock, Renfrewshire.

In 1605, his son,

JOHN or JAMES SHAW, and Patrick Montgomery, were appointed attorneys to act on behalf of Hugh Montgomery, in the division of Con O’Neill’s estate.

This John or James is described in The Montgomery Manuscripts as one of Hugh Montgomery’s ‘prime friends’.

In 1606, one of the first members of the family to accompany Sir Hugh Montgomery to Ulster was his wife’s uncle,

PATRICK SHAW, who later became laird of Kelsoland (Greenock).

The Montgomerys and Shaws were closely related through marriage: Sir Hugh married James Shaw’s eldest daughter Elizabeth.

Sir Hugh’s sister, Jean, married Patrick Shaw (second son of John Shaw, of Greenock).

As the Scots settlement in east Ulster expanded, some of the original Montgomery tenants moved to County Antrim.

James Shaw (possibly the John Shaw mentioned above) and his wife, Isabella Brisbane, moved to Ballygally, near Larne, County Antrim.

After Shaw came to Ballygally in 1613, he came into possession of a sub-grant of land, at the low rent of 24 pounds per annum, from the Earl of Antrim.

It was on this land that Ballygally Castle was built, in 1625.

In 1657, the Shaws acquired the Brisbane Estate (James Shaw, son of James Shaw of Ballygally, married his cousin, Elizabeth Brisbane).

BALLYGALLY CASTLE, near Larne, County Antrim, is a four-storey, rectangular tower in Scottish style with a steeply-pitched roof.

There are cone-topped corner bartizans and gable lucernes.

The walls are of a rough-cast render, though some stonework is exposed.

Over the main entrance door, leading to the tower, is a carved stone tablet bearing the date 1625, and the legend God's Providence Is My Inheritance.

It is likely that the original tower-house was more extensive than the current remains of the ancient Castle indicate.

It served as a place of refuge for protestants during the civil wars.

During the rebellion of 1641 the Irish garrison, stationed at Glenarm, tried, on many occasions, to take the castle, though they never succeeded in gaining entry.

Ballygally passed through many troubles and was used again as a fortress in the 18th Century.

Towards the mid-18th Century, considerable additions were made to the castle.

Henry Shaw married a Miss Hamilton, accompanied by her two sisters, all of whom resided at the castle.

In 1799, William Shaw, the last member of the family to live at the castle, succeeded to the estate.

In the early 1800s, the Shaws lost their lands and wealth, and the estate was sold to the Agnews for £15,400.

Anna Shaw, of Ballygally, was married to Patrick Agnew, who died in 1667

At one time it was known as Shaw's Castle.

The castle, for some years, served as a coastguard station; then became the residence of the Rev Classon Porter and his family, who lived there for many years.

It was subsequently acquired by the Moore family who, in turn, sold Ballygally to Mr Cyril Lord in the early 1950s.

Mr Lord refurbished it as a hotel.

The hotelier Sir William Hastings, CBE, purchased Ballygally Castle Hotel from Mr Lord in 1966 for £40,000.

*****

WHEN BALLYGALLY CASTLE was built, it was known that Ulster was unsettled, so the castle was designed as a place of defence as well as one of residence.

This is a 17th century plantation castle, largely unchanged and intact, apart from sash windows.

It was originally constructed mostly local stone, in the style of a French chateau, with high walls, a steep roof, dormer windows and corner turrets.

The walls were about five feet thick, with loopholes for musketry.

The stairs were built of stone, and spiral in construction.

Through the outer hall ran an open stream of water for the use of the inhabitants, in case of siege; and above the dormer windows were carvings, still traceable today.

Outside were originally two courtyards, one surrounded by high walls; the other inside the higher walls.

The inner courtyard was marked by two stone pillar mounted with round stone balls.

Inside the courtyard were stables, coach houses, byres, sheep pens, a brew-house and dovecot.

Outside the courtyard there was a wash-house and a scutching-mill and, in the little glen on the other side of the river, was a corn mill.

Today, Ballygally Castle is much enlarged and modernised with 54 en suite bedrooms.

Nevertheless, the old castle has been preserved and retains many of its original features, including several turreted bedrooms.

First published in October, 2012.

Remembrance Sunday

FOR THE FALLEN: THE GLORIOUS DEAD

They went with songs to the battle,

They were young, straight of limb,

 True of eyes, steady and aglow,

 They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,

 They fell with their faces to the foe,

 They shall grow not old,

as we that are left grow old,
 Age shall not weary them,

nor the years condemn,

 At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

 We will remember them.

LAURENCE BINYON, 1869-1943

The Morning Star

THE MORNING STAR, 17-19 Pottinger's Entry, Belfast, is a two-storey public house, reputedly dating from ca 1820.

It is one of the longest-operating licensed premises in the city.

The building occupies the corner site of Pottinger's Entry and Pottinger's Court, an alley which was first mentioned in a map of 1715.

The Bar comprises two storeys, with a pilastered front, moulded base panels, and etched glass windows.

The current building had certainly been erected by at least 1850, when maps depicted the building along its current layout.

Griffith's Valuation recorded that it was occupied by John and William Riddel in 1860 (the Riddels were iron and metal merchants who utilized the premises on Pottinger's Entry as a store and workshop).

The premises were valued at £25 in 1860; however, by 1863, the site had been converted into a licensed "spirit shop and stores" operated by Mr J Steenman.

Mr Steenman was recorded as the occupant of the site between 1863-81, although the Belfast Street Directories state that the "wine stores" were administered by the Malcolmson Brothers in 1868, George McChesney in 1877, and William Nixon in 1880, presumably the publicans.

In 1892, the property was acquired by James McEntee and Henry McKenna, two publicans who also owned pubs in the area around Castle Street.

The property was recorded as a "Licensed House" and had been increased in value to £65.

McEntee and McKenna's partnership had been dissolved by 1900, when Henry McKenna was the sole occupier of the site.

Pottinger's Court ca 1910

In that year the valuer increased the rateable value of the premises to £95 and noted that McKenna paid annual rent of £60 to William Riddel.

Henry McKenna's public house also included a bottling store which was located off Pottinger's Entry, in Pottinger's Court.

Mr McKenna continued to operate the public house until 1926.

In 1913, the site was first referred to as the Morning Star Bar in street directories. 

The Irish Builder records that in 1924 renovation work was carried out to the bar which repaired damage incurred during an arson assault. The Morning Star was burnt out in a sectarian attack, part of the sectarian violence common in the post-partition years of 1921-23. Renovation work was carried out by Messrs F & J McCardle.

In 1935, the bar was administered by the Madden Brothers, having passed from Henry McKenna in 1924.

There was no further valuation of the pub carried out for the next two decades due to the disruption of the 2nd World War.

The Morning Star narrowly survived the Belfast Blitz of 1941 whilst many neighbouring building on High Street and Bridge Street were levelled.

The Morning Star is, without doubt, the earliest building currently standing on Pottinger's Entry; however, the exact construction date of the two-storey building is difficult to determine.

The Morning Star maintains a historic tradition stretching back as early as 1810, when the Belfast Newsletter supposedly made reference to the building as "one of the terminals for the Belfast to Dublin mail coach".

However, the building was probably not utilised as a public house or tavern at this time, and it was not until 1863 that the building was first referred to as a licensed premises.

The Morning Star was refaced in 1892, when Messrs McEntee and McKenna took possession of the site and added its Victorian features.

Much of the current bar dates from the 1924 renovation of the building following a sectarian arson attack.

Law states that the renovation was carried out shortly after the Madden Bros. acquired the Morning Star Bar from McKenna in 1924.

The Maddens also owned the Ivy Bar in Church Lane; Dufferin House in Whitla Street; the Sportsman's Arms in York Street; and spirit stores in Duncairn Gardens.

The current horseshoe bar and the exterior sign are amongst the features installed as a result of the Madden Bros. 1924 reconstruction.

Having undergone a further extensive renovation in the 1960s, the Morning Star was listed in 1986.

Marcus Patton OBE, writing in 1993, described the public house as a

"Two-storey stucco building of considerable character, tall pilastered front with etched glass windows and boldly moulded base panels; projecting sign in brass and glass with bronze urn on top; a winged lion stands guard over the corner entrance."

The features described, including the exterior sign, continue to adorn the façade of the public house.

Although it is not possible to identify the precise origins of The Morning Star, the building is significant as the sole surviving remnant of the former street-scape of Pottinger's Entry, one of Belfast's original entries dating from at least the early-18th century.

First published in January, 2015.

Coolamber Manor

THE BLACKALLS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY LONGFORD, WITH 4,643 ACRES

MAJOR ROBERT BLACKALL (c1765-c1855), East India Company, married, in 1793, Catherine Lewis, and had issue,

SAMUEL WENSLEY BLACKALL (1809-71),  High Sheriff of County Longford, 1833, Colonel, Royal Longford Militia, MP for Longford, 1847-5, Governor of Queensland, 1868-71, who married firstly, in 1833, Catherine Bowles; and secondly, in 1848, Catherine Bond, by whom he had issue,

Robert;

Adelaide, m, in 1864, the Hon E G Cochrane.

The only son,

ROBERT BLACKALL (1834-1906), married, in 1867, Mary Emily Gifford, and had issue, a son,

CHARLES WALTER BLACKALL (1876-1918), Lieutenant-Colonel, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs); killed in action.

COOLAMBER MANOR, near Lisryan, County Longford, is said to be the finest country house of its era and type in County Longford.

It is built in a late-Georgian/Regency classical idiom, and retains its early form, character and the majority of its early fabric despite the construction of a number of modern extensions to the rear.

The giant order pilasters between the bays of the two main façades, along with the very prominent eaves cornice and blocking course, lend this building a distinctive appearance that is reminiscent of a contemporary seaside villa.

The giant pilasters add interest to the main façade, creating a stepped profile that gives this façade a robust but surprising delicate architectural character.

The full-height three-bay bow to the east elevation is another interesting architectural element that helps to add further visual impact when approaching the building along the main avenue, and creates an imposing and handsome silhouette in the landscape.

The plan of the house is quite unusual, with the stair hall to one side of the building (west), which is lit by an enormous round-headed window opening with tripartite timber sash windows.

The house also retains many notable features and materials that enhance the building, including timber sash windows and cut limestone steps with ornate cast-iron railings to the entrance.

Coolamber Manor was built to designs by the eminent architect John Hargrave, who worked extensively in County Longford during the 1820s.

The house was built for Colonel Samuel Wesley Blackall (1809-71), though may have replaced an earlier house associated with the Blackalls (Major Robert Blackall, father of the above, lived in Longford in the late-18th century).

Cooamber subsequently became the home of the Stanley family (Burroughs Stanley in 1894); and thereafter the Wingfields.

It was sold ca 1960 and was in use as a rehabilitation centre until recently.

Extending to 15,255 square feet, the manor house is a three-bay, two-storey over basement residence, built in the late Georgian/Regency period.

Adding to its distinctive appearance, the house retains many of its original features that include timber sash windows, cut limestone steps, and ornate cast-iron railings.

Accommodation comprises four reception rooms, a large commercial kitchen and bakery, two gyms, billiards-room, two shower rooms and fourteen bedrooms.

Accessed through an arch, the two cut stone courtyards have been well maintained over the years and are in excellent condition.

These have been fully converted to include four training rooms, a number of two-bedroom apartments, laundry room, stables, tack room, and some lofted stores.

Adjoining these is the farmyard which features a number of slatted and loose-bedded sheds, silage slabs, a disused dairy, and hay sheds.

There are also two other bungalow residences on the property, both of which have their own access.

The present estate includes good stables and 157 acres.

It stands on its original splendour, to the front of Coolamber Wood, adorned by landscaped lawns and gardens, and a well kept farmyard.

First published in October, 2012.

The Cunningham Baronetcy

THOMAS CUNNINGHAM, of Crookedstone, in the parish of Killead, County Antrim (believed to have been son of Patrick Cunningham, of the same parish, whose will was dated 1696), married Elizabeth ______, and died ca 1728, leaving issue,

Hugh, of Dungonnell, dsp;
WILLIAM (Rev), of whom presently;
a daughter, m Hugh Mosman;
a daughter, m Josias Cunningham;
a daughter, m Samuel McMaster;
Ann; Elizabeth.

The younger son,

THE REV WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM, Minister of Limavady, County Londonderry, 1720, wedded Margaret Bradshaw, and dying in 1740,  left issue,

Thomas;
George;
SAMUEL, of whom presently;
Thomas.

His third son,

SAMUEL CUNNINGHAM (c1697-1789), of Crookedstone and Dungonnell, espoused firstly, in 1727, Mary, daughter of Samuel Thompson, of Muckamore, County Antrim, and had issue,

William, of Ahoghill and Greenhall;
SAMUEL, of whom presently;
John, of Dungonnell;
Margaret; Sarah; Mary; a daughter.

He married secondly, __________, widow of Francis Brown; and thirdly, Mary ______.

Mr Cunningham's second son,

SAMUEL CUNNINGHAM (c1742-1812), of Crookedstone, wedded, in 1765, Mary, daughter of John Barber, of British, Killead, and had issue,

Samuel;
John;
William, merchant, of Belfast;
James, of Belmount, Antrim;
Thomas;
Thomas;
Josias, partner with his brother Barber; wholesale tobacco merchants;
BARBER, of whom we treat;
Sarah; Mary; Elizabeth.

The youngest son,

BARBER CUNNINGHAM (1787-1841), of Belfast, a partner with his brother Josias in the firm of Josias and Barber Cunningham, espoused, in 1818, Margaret, daughter of David McClure, of Killead, and had issue,

JOSIAS, of whom hereafter;
Samuel;
David McClure;
Agnes McClure; Agnes McClure.

The eldest son,

JOSIAS CUNNINGHAM (1819-95), of Glencairn, Belfast, who founded the firm of Josias Cunningham and Company, Stockbrokers, in 1843, married, in 1855, Jane Agnes, daughter of James Davis, solicitor, of Belfast, and had issue,

JAMES (1857-1924), of Glencairn, Stockbroker; died unmarried;
JOSIAS (1861-1929), of Glencairn, company director; died unmarried;
SAMUEL KNOX (Rt Hon), of whom hereafter;
David (twin), died 1864;
Margaret; Jane Agnes; Emily; Mary Elizabeth; Anna Wise; Sarah Catherine.

The third son,

THE RT HON SAMUEL CUNNINGHAM (1862-1946), of Fernhill, Belfast, wedded, in 1898, Janet Muir Knox, eldest daughter of Dunlop McCosh, Solicitor, of Dalry, Ayrshire, and had issue,

Josias, stockbroker;
Dunlop McCosh, of 22, Broomhill Pk, Belfast;
James Glencairn, OBE DL;
SAMUEL KNOX, of whom hereafter.

The youngest son,

(SAMUEL) KNOX CUNNINGHAM QC (1909-76), Ulster Unionist politician, barrister and business man, was educated at RBAI, Fettes College, Edinburgh, and Clare College, Cambridge, where he was heavy-weight boxing champion.

Mr Cunnungham was engaged in business in Northern Ireland between 1931-37; called to the Bar of Middle Temple, 1939; and the Inn of Court of Northern Ireland, 1942.

He later became a QC.

During the 2nd World War he served with the Scots Guards, and in 1943 and 1945 he unsuccessfully contested the parliamentary seat of Belfast West.

In 1955 he contested and won the parliamentary seat of South Antrim, a seat which he held until his retirement in 1970.

Cunningham's fame rests chiefly on his distinguished parliamentary career.

Between 1958-59 he was PPS to the Financial Secretary to the Treasury; and between 1959-63 held his most important and influential position as PPS to the Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan.  

This was a unique position for an Ulster Unionist and for four years Knox Cunningham worked in the centre of power at Westminster.

It was in Mr Macmillan’s 1963 resignation honours list that Knox Cunningham was awarded with a baronetcy, designated of Crookedstone, Killead, County Antrim, for his distinguished services to the Prime Minister.

When the Labour Party came to power under Harold Wilson in 1964, Sir Knox pressed and probed with innumerable questions and interventions in debates and he had many verbal clashes with Harold Wilson himself in the House of Commons.

For three years Sir Knox was a member of the United Kingdom Parliamentary Delegation to the Council of Europe and Western European Union at Strasbourg where he put Ulster’s case to the Europeans.

Sir Knox was on the right wing of Ulster Unionism and was a powerful critic of Terence O’Neill’s political reforms in Northern Ireland.

Sir Knox died without issue in 1976, when the title became extinct.

FERNHILL HOUSE was built in the 1860s by John Smith, a wealthy Belfast butter merchant.

The site had to be cut out of the rock-face.

It comprises two storeys, a mixture of Classical and Italian Renaissance style, with a fine Greek-style portico.

In 1898, Fernhill was acquired by Samuel Cunningham, a member of a leading family involved in the grain and tobacco trade.

The Cunninghams owned about 133 acres of land in the Shankill and Ballygomartin areas of Belfast.

Cunningham was a stockbroker, chairman of the Northern Whig and a leading member of the Ulster Unionist Council and the Ulster Provisional Government from 1911 onwards.

The original Ulster Volunteer Force of 1912-14 drilled in these grounds before the 1st World War.

The stables at Fernhill were always stocked with the finest race horses: Tipperary Tim was winner of the 1928 Grand National.

In October, 1994, the Loyalist ceasefire was proclaimed at Fernhill House.

Glencairn ca 1860 (historic OS map)

THE GLENCAIRN ESTATE originally covered more than 100 acres of land at the bottom of Divis Mountain. 

It included four houses - Glencairn and Fernhill, which stood on either side of a sloping valley, Glendivis, situated between the Ballygomartin River and Glencairn Road (just beyond the present entrance to the park), and Four Winds, located further along the Glencairn Road. 

The largest houses, Glencairn and Fernhill, were also served by modest mid-19th century gate lodges. 

In 1899, Samuel Cummingham moved into Fernhill House, which had great views of Belfast, the Mourne Mountains and even the family's home country of Scotland. 

The Cunningham family eventually moved to Glencairn House and lived on the estate for most of the 20th century. 

Glencairn and Fernhill were surrounded by extensive lawns, gravel pathways, mature trees, formal gardens, vegetable plots, a croquet lawn, shrub borders and a rock garden. 

An ancient rath or fort, around 120 feet in diameter with ramparts and a surrounding trench, was located behind Fernhill House. 

The trench was filled in and used as a ring for training horses while the Cunninghams lived on the estate. Both Glencairn and Fernhill Houses were damaged during the 2nd World War. 

When Colonel Cunningham returned home after the war, he found Glencairn House empty and abandoned and his family living in part of Fernhill House. 

The estate was eventually acquired by the Belfast Corporation (now the council) in 1962 and re-opened as a public park. 

Parkview Care Home, a sprawling two-storey building, now occupies the site of Glencairn.

Glencairn House (Image: Richard Graham)

BY THE LATE 18th and early 19th century, the Cunninghams had clearly established themselves as merchants and businessmen.

Samuel’s brothers John, William, James, Thomas, Josias and Barber, were all directly involved in business and commerce.

John Cunningham (of Glenwood, a house which is roughly in the same location as the present day Glenwood Primary School) and Thomas Cunningham were partners in the firm of J & T Cunningham at Mill Street, Belfast.

Glencairn (Image: Richard Graham)

James Cunningham was a grain merchant; William was a merchant at Belfast; Josias and Barber (the youngest brothers) were partners in a firm of wholesale tobacco importers based at Rosemary Street, Belfast.

Barber Cunningham, a tobacco merchant, was the father of Sir Josias Cunningham DL, one of the most well-known members of this family.

Sir Josias firmly established the family’s fortunes.

First Published in June, 2010. I am grateful to Richard Graham for use of images of Glencairn.

Dromore Castle

THE EARLS OF LIMERICK OWNED 4,083 ACRES OF LAND IN COUNTY LIMERICK

The ancestors of this noble family were originally of Lower Brittany, in France; and the first of the family upon record in Ireland is EDMOND PERY, a son of William Pery, Bailiff of Exeter, 1578, who settled in Limerick.

This Edmond Pery, erstwhile Mayor of Limerick, died in 1655, leaving by Susannah his wife, only daughter and heir of Edmond Sexten, and heiress of her nephew, Edmond Sexten, of St Mary's Abbey, a son and successor,

COLONEL EDMUND PERY, of Stackpole Court, County Clare, who married Dymphna, daughter of Bartholomew Stackpole, of Stackpole Court, and had issue,

SEXTEN, his heir;
STACKPOLE, succeeded his brother;
four daughters.

Colonel Pery died in 1721, and was succeeded by his elder son,

SEXTEN PERY, of Stackpole Court, who died in 1730, and was succeeded by his brother,

THE REV STACKPOLE PERY MA, who wedded, in 1716, Jane, daughter and heir of the Ven William Twigge, Archdeacon of Limerick (by Diana, daughter and heir of Sir Drury Wray Bt, by Albinia, daughter and co-heir of Edward, Viscount Wimbledon, third son of 1st Earl of Exeter KG), and had, with other issue,

EDMUND SEXTEN, 1st Viscount Pery;
WILLIAM CECIL, succeeded his brother;
Diana; Dymphna; Lucy; Jane.

The elder son,

EDMUND SEXTON PERY (1719-1806), MP for Limerick City, 1761-76, who having filled the office of Speaker of the House of Commons in Ireland from 1771 until 1785, received upon his retirement the unanimous thanks of the House, and at the express solicitation of that branch of the legislature, was elevated to the peerage, in 1785, in the dignity of VISCOUNT PERY, of Newtown Pery, Limerick.

His lordship married firstly, in 1756, Patricia, youngest daughter of John Martin; and secondly, in 1762, Elizabeth, daughter of John, 1st Baron Knapton, and had issue,

Diana, m to Thomas, Earl of Ranfurly;
Frances, m to Nicholson Calvert MP.

His lordship died in 1806, when, leaving no male issue, his honours expired and the family estates devolved upon his brother,

THE RT REV WILLIAM CECIL PERY (1721-94), consecrated Lord Bishop of Killaloe, 1781, and translated to the bishopric of Limerick, 1784.

The Bishop was elevated to the peerage, in 1790, in the dignity of Baron Glentworth, of Mallow, County Cork.

He wedded firstly, in 1755, Jane, eldest daughter of John Walcott, of Croagh, and had issue,

EDMUND HENRY, his successor;
Eleanor, m to Sir Vere Hunt Bt.

He espoused secondly, in 1792, Dorothea, daughter of Richard Maunsell, of Limerick, and widow of General Crump, but had no further issue.

His lordship was succeeded by his only son,

EDMUND HENRY, 2nd Baron (1758-1844), who was created, in 1800, Viscount Limerick. 

His lordship was advanced to the dignity of an earldom, in 1803, as EARL OF LIMERICK (2nd creation), and enrolled amongst the peers of the United Kingdom at large, as Baron Foxford.

• Edmund Henry Pery, 1st Earl (1758–1844)
• William Henry Tennison Pery, 2nd Earl (1812–66)
• William Hale John Charles Pery, 3rd Earl (1840–96)
• William Henry Edmund de Vere Sheaffe Pery, 4th Earl (1863–1929)
• Edmond Colquhoun Pery, 5th Earl (1888–1967)
• Patrick Edmund Pery, 6th Earl (1930–2003)
• Edmund Christopher Pery, 7th Earl (b 1963)

The heir apparent is the present holder's son Felix Edmund Pery, styled Viscount Glentworth.

DROMORE CASTLE, near Pallaskenry, County Limerick, was designed ca 1867-70 by E W Godwin for the 3rd Earl of Limerick.

Built as a keep in a Gothic-Revival style, the building is archaeologically convincing both in its design and its display of distinctively Irish Gothic features, such as the round tower and stepped battlements.

Godwin studied and measured several Irish Gothic castles before producing his plans for Dromore.

He also designed much of the interior including the wall paintings, fireplaces, ceiling decoration, sculpture, tiles, stained and painted glass, brass work and ironwork, as well as furniture, to whom the commission for furniture went to William Watts of Grafton Street.

Henry Stacey Marks commenced the wall paintings; however, work was abandoned due to severe damp.

To combat this, Godwin designed a brick lining with a cavity of about two inches from the stonework, in addition the internal walls and vaults, with the exception of the main entrance vault, were also of brick.

Following the death of the 3rd Earl, the 4th Earl used the castle very little and had it boarded up in the early 1900s.

Dromore Castle was sold by the 4th Earl in 1939 to the McMahon family, who occupied it until 1960.

An attempt was then made to find a buyer for it; and when this proved unsuccessful, the castle was dismantled.

However, the ruin remains a striking feature in the landscape and is visible for miles due to its prominent elevated position.

Dromore Castle remains an important part of the social and architectural heritage of County Limerick being one of the most archaeologically correct Gothic-Revival castles that was built at that time. 

Former residence ~ Chiddingly, West Hoathly, Sussex.

First published in August, 2013. 

Belle Isle: VI

JULIAN BROWN REMEMBERS THE  1ST EARL MOUNTBATTEN OF BURMA

I have previously written that the Belle Isle people travelled to the west coast of Ireland each year, from 1950 onwards, to holiday at Captain Hermon’s house at Mullaghmore in County Sligo, Southern Ireland.

Since the partition of Ireland, the north was becoming prosperous and changes could be seen everywhere. 

But, at that time, the south was set in the past: Ireland was now divided into Northern Ireland and the newly established Irish Free State.

Barriers and customs posts were set up at the border.

In the south, road signs were changed into Gaelic, the countryside began to look subtly unfamiliar.

The west coast of Ireland, in the 1950s, was a world where time had stood still.

Dry stone walls divided small fields; white-washed, thatched cottages were commonplace.

The southern towns were old-fashioned and picturesque, cars were rarely to be seen. 

There was no television service and few homes had electricity.

The rural south of Ireland had hardly changed in a hundred years.

Most of the people led simple, uncomplicated lives.

A common sight, on the narrow roads, was donkeys and carts, carrying creels of turf.

It was a world of immense charm and innocence.

This may seem strange, given the history of Ireland; but it was essentially true.

Captain Richard Outram Hermon, of Necarne Castle (Dick Hermon, to those around him) bought his house near Lord Mountbatten’s castle, Classiebawn, which had belonged to Edwina Mountbatten's family. 

Lady Mountbatten had inherited Classiebawn and ten thousand acres of land in County Sligo from her grandfather, Sir Edward Cassel, who had been one of the richest men in the world and a friend of King Edward the Seventh at the turn of the century.

Captain Hermon chose Mullaghmore because of his friendship with Lord Mountbatten.

They were both keen sportsmen, and shot and fished together. 

Captain Hermon and Lord Mountbatten both kept sea-going boats at Mullaghmore. 

A friendship developed between Lord Mountbatten and the rest of the Belle Isle household; he was sometimes their guest for dinner.

Lord Mountbatten repaid the compliment on more than one occasion. 

Indeed, Lord Mountbatten wrote the forward to Vida Leigh’s book about her mother that she wrote following the death of Mrs Brunt, ‘Mary Bright of Fiddler's Green.’

Lord Mountbatten’s contribution was handwritten on Classiebawn headed notepaper. 

I recall a visit to Classiebawn Castle as a very small boy, sitting in a car outside the castle.

I retain an impression of grey walls, lichen, turrets and small trees in tubs, but not much more.

My father had called for some reason on one of the Sundays when we were at Mullaghmore. 

I have a recollection of being out in a boat at Mullaghmore with my father, Captain Hermon, Mr Porter and others.

They were very fond of fresh mackerel at Mullaghmore.

It was held that mackerel had to be eaten when they were freshly caught, because they were scavengers and it was unwise to keep them! 

They were often fried in butter very simply and delicious!

Another way of cooking them was by coating them in oats and then baking them in the oven.

Miss McDougal, the old cook at Belle Isle, was fond of using oats in cooking; it must have been her Scottish upbringing. 

It was rare for Miss McDougal to get her hands on fresh mackerel; she could only really obtain these if the household returned from Mullaghmore with some that had been caught that morning. 

On Sundays, lunch was always a happy occasion at Mullaghmore: Everyone would sit down and dine in view of the sea through the large plate glass windows.

Sometimes lunch was served by a butler, as far-fetched as that sounds! 

Tom McKervey had been Captain Hermon’s butler at Necarne Castle in the days when the castle was occupied.

Captain Hermon continued to employ Tom after he abandoned Necarne Castle, and retained Tom’s services till the day he died.

Tom took on many roles in later years but he was always Richard Hermon’s loyal servant. 

Tom did, when required, still attire himself in black jacket, waistcoat, striped trousers and wait on table; sometimes at Mullaghmore; and sometimes his services were used at Belle Isle if there was an occasion that called for the old razzmatazz! 

There was a different cook at the Mullaghmore house during the summers: her name was Maggie and she had worked for Captain Hermon in the castle at Necarne in the past.

I remember nosing about in the kitchen at Mullaghmore while she was there and she was very kind to me. 

As usual I got under everyone’s feet and had to stick my nose in everywhere!

In any event, Miss McDougal never had leave from Belle Isle to cook at the holiday house.

Just as well or she would have had a blue fit! 

The trips to Mullaghmore on the coast continued for some years, as Audrey (right) and I were growing up.

In 1964 I left Ireland, like countless thousands of young Irish men before me, to work in England. 

I went back to Ireland often, and made what was to be to be my final visit to my old Belle Isle friends at Mullaghmore in 1965.

I was seventeen, a lanky, awkward and sallow youth. 

I remember this occasion vividly: Vida Leigh took my mother, father, Audrey and Tiggy on a drive around the coast road; I don’t recall where Dick Hermon and Nicholas Porter were, but old Mrs Brunt and I were left alone, sitting in the porch, overlooking the sea. 

We were old friends and easy with each other.

Gigi made polite conversation, how did I enjoy England? Had I made friends? Would I come back to Ireland?

She looked at me closely and, smiling at me, took my hand, “I have known you since you were born Julian, you must not let England spoil you, you know, do not lose touch with Ireland and your mother, you must always come back.”

I remember this clearly, it was one of those moments.

 I recall looking closely at Gigi and registered how old she had become.

Her hair was still chestnut in colour, but her eyes were yellow and tired.

She was 87 years old. 1965 became 1966. 

I was at work in Hatfield, near London, when the telephone rang one morning: it was a payphone in a passage on a wall outside for the use of staff.

“It’s for you Jules,” I left what I was doing and went to the phone, it was my mother.

She told me quietly that Gigi had died peacefully in her sleep the evening before, on New Year’s Day, 1966. 

It was the end of an era, the Belle Isle folk never returned to Mullaghmore. 

In 2008, in summer Audrey and I returned to Mullaghmore with Audrey’s husband, Jack, and her daughters Caroline and Jackie.

I was sixty years old and Audrey was fifty five.

We walked round the harbour and had something to eat in what had been Peter’s public house, all those years ago. 

It bore no resemblance to the old inn of the 1950s, and had changed beyond recognition; it was clean and modern and bright and welcoming, but no trace remained of how it had been before.

It was a different world.

Mr Hermon’s house was still there on the hill; it belonged to someone else now.

We drove up to the gates and sat for a minute or two in silence, remembering. 

It seemed smaller and greyer and strange; there was nothing for us there, no trace of what had been, the sheet had been wiped clean; and I remembered Tiggy’s words to me at Necarne, when she was talking about Belle Isle, “You can never go back to the past.” 

It was a page from another time and no-one standing on that hill now would know how it had been back then. 

Audrey

I can still see my sister Audrey, running along a stone wall beside the beach at Mullaghmore in 1958.

Our father would be teasing her; they played a little game, time and time again. “Audie, two!” 

She would shake her head and respond, “No, Audie three!” young Audrey was the apple of Esmond’s eye and the age game was played often, but Audrey knew she was three!

“Come on Juna!” she would shout excitedly, as she ran to the beach. 

I was ‘Juna’ to Audrey and the beach was waiting!

All those who laughed and danced and walked on the sand and paddled in the sea, with the wind in their faces, have gone.

Esmond and Pearl, Nicholas Porter and Richard Hermon, Vida Leigh and Gigi and Tiggy - and Audrey. 

My beloved sister Audrey was dying from lung cancer when she made the last visit to Mullaghmore.

She died on 22nd January, 2009.

First published in March, 2010.