The Irishman who built 10 Downing Street

The Irishman who built 10 Downing Street

Described as a 'perfidious rogue' and ‘a most ungrateful villain,' the man who build Downing Street was also a brilliant scholar, a Puritan preacher, a duplicitous spy, a diplomat, an economist and a dastardly politician. Complete access to all articles on this...
E.J. Morrissey’s of Abbeyleix, County Laois

E.J. Morrissey’s of Abbeyleix, County Laois

In more carefree times, there was an unofficial commandment that stated: ‘Thou shalt not drive through Abbeyleix without pausing in Morrissey’s for a pint’. The pub's best known landlord was Willie John Morrissey, a famous character in Irish folklore. He was the town...
The Halpin Family: Lighthouse Builders, Port Engineers, Pioneers

The Halpin Family: Lighthouse Builders, Port Engineers, Pioneers

A dynasty whose bloodlines interlink across multiple generations from their origins in the Huguenot stronghold of Portarlington, County Laois, to Wicklow, the Dublin Docklands, Meath and the distant lands of the USA and Australia. George Halpin, the ‘Founding Father’...
A History of Ballyfin House, Co. Laoise, Ireland

A History of Ballyfin House, Co. Laoise, Ireland

As he lay dying in the winter of 1845, William Pole-Wellesley must have reflected upon the many failures of his life. He had certainly never come close to the success of his younger brother, Arthur, the famous ‘Iron Duke’ of Wellington. In fact, William’s most lasting...