George IV’s Royal Visit to Ireland, 1821

George IV’s Royal Visit to Ireland, 1821

In 1821, when the new king commenced an 18-day visit to Ireland, the scandal-mongers of London homed in on the new leading light in His Majesty’s bedchamber – Elizabeth, Lady Conyngham, the chatelaine of Slane Castle, County Meath. Complete access to all articles on...

Peg Plunkett (Mrs. Leeson) (C. 1740-1797)

PEG PLUNKETT (MRS. LEESON) (C. 1740-1797) VICE-QUEEN OF GEORGIAN DUBLIN Christmas 1794 was a distinctly uncomfortable time for a large number of the well-to-do men who frequented Georgian Dublin. The word was out that Mrs. Leeson, long regarded as the city’s foremost...
Lola Montez and the King of Bavaria

Lola Montez and the King of Bavaria

Lola Montez was one of the most famous dancers in Europe in the 1840s. Her love affair with the King of Bavaria brought him crashing down before she embarked upon a new life running a literary and social salon in California. This tale follows the rise and fall of this...

Sir Richard Burton (1821-1890)

SIR RICHARD BURTON (1821-1890) EXPLORER EXTRAORDINAIRE Sir Richard Francis Burton was one of the most eccentric and brilliant explorers the world has known. During the 19th century, this intrepid scion of Co. Galway discovered Lake Tanganyika, translated the ‘Kama...