Mr Winterly and I celebrated our wedding anniversary with a trip to Curraghmore House in County Waterford. This beautiful property is the home of the 9th Marquis of Waterford and has been in his family since the arrival of the de la Poers, who were Anglo-Normans, in the middle of the twelfth century. Over 800 years have gone into the creation of Curraghmore as it is today. The tour of the house was fascinating because it focused on what I like best: family history, with many stories of wild escapades and colourful characters.
Mystery room discovered at 800-year-old castle
Exciting news broke in August this year about 800-year-old Johnstown Castle in Co Wexford where a hidden room, previously unknown to historians and caretakers, was stumbled upon by a joiner conducting conservation work.
The revelation of the secret room occurred during repairs to windows inside the castle. Contractors knocked through a section of the wall, revealing a concealed space that had remained untouched for decades. Johnstown Castle, which dates back to Norman times, was owned by various aristocratic families before entering public ownership in the late 20th century.
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
I’ve just returned home from a two week break in Ontario, Canada. My husband and I stayed with friends in London (built on the Thames River, of course) and we watched a musical in Stratford, Ontario, built on the Avon River. I can appreciate how nostalgic for home those early settlers in Canada must have been. London in Ontario also has streets named after areas in the British capital such as Kensington and Piccadilly. Back in the 1800’s, when people left home they left for good. This was certainly the case in my home country of Ireland.