Category: Family

A Monsignor

I’ve  been asked by a regular reader to mention a famous 20th century scion of the Gilbey family, Monsignor Alfred Gilbey.  To get him in context, Monsignor Gilbey is the grandson of the Alfred Gilbey who founded the firm with his brother, Walter, in 1856. I met him only once that I can remember, when… Continue reading A Monsignor

The Compleat Imbiber, Part One

Cyril Ray, who died in 1991, was best known in his latter years as a writer on wine. He wrote books about Bollinger, Chateau Lafite-Rothschild and Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, among others. However, his back-story is interesting.

Drying Greens

  This post is not about vegetables and their preparation, it’s about drying greens.

My Four Green Fields

This is by Hilda van Stockum, a Dutch writer of childrens books and an artist. She spent part of her life in Ireland where she met Evie Hone and painted this portrait, probably at Marley, in Rathfarnham, where Evie had a house and studio.

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Categorised as Art, Family

Out of Africa

My cousin, Caroline, made a comment the other day about rowing on the lake at Barmeath. It is always called a lake although I have a suspicion it is really a big pond. Whatever it is, it was created as an ornamental feature with islands and a rustic bridge in the 18th century.

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Categorised as Family

Family Holidays

My sister and brother are ten and eleven years older than me, so I am almost an only child. In August my aunt and uncle would come to stay at Barmeath for two weeks with their children, my cousins, Richard and Caroline. This was the highlight of the year for me.

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Categorised as Family

Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?

  That’s what I think at 1.00 a.m. when my hostess is frantic to get rid of me. It’s also what good-time girl Britannia is thinking about the Euro-bash where she has been partying since 1973.