Notes on Westport, County Mayo

Notes on Westport, County Mayo

Apr 3, 2026

From Achill’s trains of the dead to slave‑freeing marquesses, Botox barons, Nazi broadcasters and sabre-rattling generals, Westport’s small Atlantic stage has launched some of Mayo’s strangest tales … Become a member of Turtle’s History Library to access all...
Rise & Fall of the Knights Templar – The Irish Experience

Rise & Fall of the Knights Templar – The Irish Experience

Jan 13, 2023

The Knights Templar have captivated people’s imagination ever since the Order was founded in 1119. One of the most powerful forces in Europe for almost 200 years, their initial purpose was to protect pilgrims in the Holy Land. In Ireland, they had manors and banking...
Corrupt Banking in Victorian Ireland

Corrupt Banking in Victorian Ireland

Aug 11, 2021

The scandals that rocked Irish banking in the 19th century were little different to those of more recent times. In each case the men responsible – some rascals from birth, others corrupted along the way – attempted to absolve themselves on the basis that they...
Redmond Kane and the O’Cahan Family

Redmond Kane and the O’Cahan Family

Aug 11, 2021

The story of the O’Cahans of Limavady, who became the Kane family, prominent bankers, homing in on the attorney Redmond Kane of Mantua, Swords, County Dublin, one of the wealthiest commoners in Ireland during the late 18th century. He was also for many years the...
La Touche of Marlay, Bellevue & Harristown

La Touche of Marlay, Bellevue & Harristown

Aug 11, 2021

Arguably Ireland’s most prominent Huguenot family in the Georgian Age, the La Touche family descend from David La Touche, a refugee from the Loire Valley who served at the Battle of the Boyne and went on to found the bank of La Touche & Sons. His descendants were...