A Scandalous Affair – Princess Penelope of Capua (1815–1882)

A SCANDALOUS AFFAIR – PRINCESS PENELOPE (1815 – 1882) NB: For more on Miss Penelope Smith’s family, see sections on Smyth of Ballynatray, Ponsonby of Kilcooley Abbey and the Earls Mouncashell. The author of the 1853 Tourists Illustrated Handbook for Ireland advised...
More O’Ferrall of Balyna, Enfield, Co. Kildare

More O’Ferrall of Balyna, Enfield, Co. Kildare

Descended from two great Catholic Irish families, the More O’Ferralls combined with the marriage in 1751 of the Balyna heiress Letitia O’More and the Dublin banker Richard Ferrall. During the 1840s, Sir Richard More O’Ferrall emerged as a great champions of religious...
De Burgh of Oldtown, Co. Kildare

De Burgh of Oldtown, Co. Kildare

Reputedly descended from Charlemagne, the de Burgh's role in Irish affairs has been immense since the first knights who cantered across the seas in the 12th century. The Oldtown branch was established in Kildare 325 years ago by Thomas Burgh, a brilliant military...