Richard Butler (1794-1862), Vicar of Trim and  Dean of Clonmacnoise

Richard Butler (1794-1862), Vicar of Trim and  Dean of Clonmacnoise

Maria Edgeworth’s sister Harriet married my grandfather’s great-uncle Richard Butler, Rector of Trim and Dean of Clonmacnoise, Described as ‘a handsome man with expressive eyes’, he was born at Granard, County Longford, in 1794. Complete access to all articles on this...
Walt Disney’s Leprechaun Hunt

Walt Disney’s Leprechaun Hunt

By the time of his death in 1966, Walt Disney was a household name across the world, having racked up far more Oscars than anyone else in history and established a multination company with zillions of dollars, as well as resorts and theme parks. A classic American...

Jimmy Bolger the Colaman

Jimmy Bolger the Colaman In a letter to me of March 2007, former Timahoe publican John Headen told me of a carman or coal carrier called Jimmy Bolger who he knew as a young man. The story of his homeward voyage from the pub with his horses is so beautiful that I...
Cuffe, Earls of Desart – Ghostly Women and Forgotten Heroes 

Cuffe, Earls of Desart – Ghostly Women and Forgotten Heroes 

The story of the Cuffes of Desart Court in the Irish county of Kilkenny is as sprawling an epic as ever there was. Over nine generations, the family were deeply ensconced in the affairs of Ireland and the Anglo-Irish world. Their rise through the ranks of Great...