Supple of Aghadoe Castle, Co. Cork

The Supples were an old Anglo-Norman family, descended from Philippe de Capella (or de Capel), one of the original mercenaries to participate in the Cambro-Norman invasion of Ireland. Philippe came to Ireland with Robert FitzStephen in 1167 and took part in the...
Richard Boyle (1566–1643) – The Great Earl of Cork

Richard Boyle (1566–1643) – The Great Earl of Cork

Without question, Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork,  was the dominant figure on Ireland’s Blackwater Valley for the first forty years of the 17th century.  Indeed, the entrepreneur from Canterbury was one of the most extraordinary and powerful characters in Western...

Boyles, Earls of Shannon

BOYLES, EARLS OF SHANNON RICHARD BOYLE, THE GREAT EARL OF CORK The family descend from Richard Boyle, the ‘Great Earl’ of Cork, an entrepreneur from Canterbury who became one of the most powerful figures in Western Europe during the early 17th century. The story of...
Vigors of Old Leighlin, Erindale & Holloden

Vigors of Old Leighlin, Erindale & Holloden

The Vigors hailed from Devon, England, and came to Ireland in the early 17th century when one of them became chaplain to the influential Boyle family. During the reign of Charles II, they  were granted estates in County Carlow, where branches were established at Old...