Corrupt Banking in Victorian Ireland

Corrupt Banking in Victorian Ireland

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 had not...
Redmond Kane and the O’Cahan Family

Redmond Kane and the O’Cahan Family

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

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 to...
Henry of Straffan House & Lodge Park, County Kildare

Henry of Straffan House & Lodge Park, County Kildare

Descended from a Presbyterian minister whose son struck gold in banking and linen, the family lived at Straffan House on the banks of the Liffey during the 18th century, as well as nearby Lodge Park. A high-profile marriage to the Earl of Milltown’s daughter gave them...

The Remarkable Albums of Sylvia Drew

THE REMARKABLE ALBUMS OF SYLVIA DREW By Turtle Bunbury (This article appeared in The World of Interiors, September 2011) In my father’s childhood, the albums lay upon a table in the bay window of the Drew family home in the Lake District. There were four of them, 12”...