Kindle Review

About one month ago I received an Amazon Kindle electronic book reader.

I have to admit that I'd been intrigued by the Kindle and similar devices for a year or two, so this was an opportunity to see what it was really like to live with.

Undoubtedly this is a clever little gadget. With the hard leather cover and light, I found it a touch heavy to hold after a period.

The device itself is light, though with the cover attached to it I found it bulkier and heavier. Do consider this before opting for the leather cover.

I never used the little light. I expect it would come into its own if one wished to read at night without disturbing one's partner.

I found the actual reading experience good. The screen is bright and legible, even in bright sunlight. The rechargeable battery lasts for a long time, too.

Frankly I don't read enough to justify the Kindle. Downloading books, magazines and newspapers certainly is not free. Despite the admirable Gutenberg Project and the very limited availability of free material - mostly Classics - all other reading material must be paid for.

In conclusion, it is simpler and easier to continue with one's own paperback collection. Old P G Wodehouse books can be picked up anywhere cheaper than a Kindle download on Amazon.

The McClure Baronetcy

THE McCLURE BARONETCY, OF BELMONT AND OF DUNDELA IN THE COUNTY OF DOWN, WAS CREATED IN 1874 FOR THOMAS McCLURE, TOBACCO MERCHANT AND POLITICIAN (1806-93).

Thomas McClure was MP for Belfast from 1868-74 and MP for County Londonderry from 1878-85. 

Sir Thomas was "a Devonshire and National Liberal". He was the son of William McClure Esq., of Belfast, by Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev John Thomson, a Presbyterian Minister.

McClure was born at Belfast in 1806. He married, in 1877, Ellison Thorburn, daughter of Robert Andrew Macfie, Esq., of Dreghorn, Edinburgh; educated at the Belfast Royal Academical Institution. 

The 1st Baronet was, for many years, a merchant in Belfast; was High Sheriff of County Down in 1864, of which he was later Vice Lord-Lieutenant; a Magistrate for the Counties of Down, Antrim and Armagh. 

A Liberal, he sat for Belfast from 1868-74; and for County Londonderry from 1878-85

The Baronetcy became extinct on his death in 1893. 

Belmont House (pictured), his home, was bought on land which formerly belonged to the Earl of Ranfurly - stood on the site of Campbell College.

Knock Presbyterian Church is probably unique in that the congregation sprang out of a children’s Sunday School established in 1870 by a Mr. James Colville, and which met in an old mill situated in the Cherryvalley area. 

This building was owned by the Liberal MP for Belfast, Sir Thomas McClure, who was instrumental in helping to establish not only Knock but also the nearby Belmont Presbyterian Church congregation. 

Sir Thomas leased some land in the 1850s to the celebrated architect, Thomas Jackson, who designed many of the large houses in the locality. It is thought that Sir Thomas's first house was Glenmachan Tower, (old) Holywood Road, Belfast, presumably prior to the Shillingtons.

I'd be eager to obtain more information about the McClure family.

First Published in September, 2010.

Metric Height

All right, Timothy Belmont does not expect any degree of sympathy on this one. I was asked for my height by a physician this afternoon. Naturally I replied in feet and inches.

The doctor asked me what that was in metres. Ha!

How should I know? The sooner we get rid of this euro-nonsense, the better. If pounds and inches are good enough for the United States of America, they are good enough for me.

I responded with my best guess, to the nearest metre.

New £50 Bank-Note

Today a new £50 note will enter circulation, featuring images of Matthew Boulton and James Watt, leading figures of the Industrial Revolution. 

The biggest change comes in the form of new security measures introduced by the Bank of England to deter counterfeiters.

Chris Salmon, the Bank of England's chief cashier, said in a speech last week to the British Numismatic Society that he had been determined that banknotes must be "instantly recognisable and hard to copy".

The £50 is the first new note to be released since Salmon took the job six months ago, and the first to feature two portraits on the reverse. It also brings a claimed three new authentication features over its predecessor.

Mr Salmon stated,

"As well as a first for our banknote art and being the first to bear my signature, the new £50 will deliver a significant update in security features, carrying eight features for cash users compared to the five of its predecessor," 

One of these features, called Motion Thread, includes semi-translucent windows woven into the note that show the £ symbol and the number 50 when held up to the light.

"When a note is tilted from side to side, the images move up and down. And when the note is tilted up and down, the images move from side to side and the number 50 and £ symbol switch.

"The thread, in combination with the other security features, reflects our intention to design a secure note. I would encourage everyone to take the time to examine this new security feature, whether seeing it for the first time next week or when receiving a note in five years’ time." 

"Unfortunately no matter how well we design our notes, whatever their quality, and however well educated the public are about authentication, there will be some level of counterfeiting."

Existing £50 notes featuring Sir John Houblon, the first governor of the Bank of England, will remain legal tender, but will eventually be recalled.

There are around 2.8 billion bank notes in circulation in the UK, including £9.9 billion in £50 denominations.

O'Neill Estates

The ancient demesne known as Shane's Castle lies at Lough Neagh, between the towns of Antrim and Randalstown in County Antrim. The original Shane's Castle took its name from Shane McBrian O'Neill, last Captain or Lord of Clanaboy.

There were two principal branches of the House of O'Neill: Tyrone and Clanaboy.

After a long and turbulent history, JAMES I finally settled the O'Neill estates, in excess of 120,000 acres, on Shane McBrian O'Neill, who had made his peace with the Crown.

Shane O'Neill's son, Sir Henry, had five daughters and only one of them, Rose, survived. Rose O'Neill married Randal, 1st Marquess of Antrim, after whom Randalstown is named.

Sir Henry and Lady O'Neill are buried at Carrickfergus Parish Church today.

After passing through several cousins, the O'Neill estates were eventually inherited by Charles O'Neill (d 1769) who built Tullymore Lodge in Broughshane, the dower house of the O'Neills till the 1930s.

Charles also built Cleggan Lodge, originally a shooting lodge until taken over by Sir Hugh O'Neill, 1st Baron Rathcavan, in the early 1900s.

Charles's son John, 1st Viscount O'Neill (1740-98) was a highly respected parliamentarian and was tragically killed at the Battle of Antrim in 1798.

Charles Henry St John, 2nd Viscount, was further elevated to become 1st Earl O'Neill and Viscount Raymond (1779-1841), continued his father's tradition as a distinguished parliamentarian and, for his support of the Act of Union, was granted the earldom.

The 1st Earl's younger brother, John 1780-1855), succeeded to the titles as 2nd and last Earl O'Neill when the earldom became extinct.

However, his estates were inherited by his cousin, the Rev William Chichester, who assumed the surname of O'Neill in lieu of Chichester the same year.

In 1868 the O'Neill title was revived when Chichester was created 1st Baron O'Neill, of Shane's Castle in the County of Antrim. This title is still extant today.

The 1st Baron was the great-great-great-grandson of John Chichester, younger brother of Arthur Chichester, 2nd Earl of Donegall. The latter two were both nephews of Arthur Chichester, 1st Earl of Donegall, and grandsons of Edward Chichester, 1st Viscount Chichester..

Lord O'Neill was succeeded by his eldest son, the 2nd Baron, who sat as MP for Antrim.

His eldest son and heir apparent, the Hon Arthur O'Neill, was Mid-Antrim MP from 1910 until 1914, when he was killed in action during the First World War the first MP to die in the conflict.

The 2nd Baron was consequently succeeded by his grandson, the 3rd Baron (the son of the Hon Arthur O'Neill), who was killed in action in Italy during the Second World War.

As of 2010^[update] the title is held by his son, 4th and present Baron, who succeeded in 1944. As a descendant of the first Viscount Chichester he is in remainder to the Barony and Viscountcy of Chichester and, according to a special patent in the letters patent, the Earldom of Donegall, titles held by his kinsman, the present Lord Donegall.

Two other members of the O'Neill family have been elevated to the peerage: Hugh O'Neill, 1st Baron Rathcavan, the youngest son of 2nd Baron O'Neill; while Terence O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of the Maine, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, was the youngest brother of 3rd Baron.

The barony of the present creation really descends through marriage from the Chichester family, Earls and Marquesses of Donegall.

Shane's Castle is one of the largest and finest private demesnes in Northern Ireland, extending to 2,700 acres.

It lies in a particularly scenic, not to say strategic, position on the north-east shore of Lough Neagh between Antrim and Randalstown. Part of the Estate is a nature reserve.

The O'Neill family has had a hapless history with regard to the fate of their houses: the first Shane's Castle dated from the early 1600s and was utterly destroyed by an accidental fire in 1816. The family moved to a small house adjoining the stables.

That house was replaced in 1865 by a larger, Victorian-Gothic castle which, tragically, was burnt by the IRA in 1922 (as was the nearby Antrim Castle).

Its ruin was subsequently cleared away, and for the next 40 or so years the family lived once again in the stables.

The extensive and fine walled Shane's Castle demesne lies on the north shores of Lough Neagh. It was established in the 17th century and surrounds a succession of houses on different sites.

There are ruins of the original dwelling on the shores of Lough Neagh and the 18th century house, with a lake-side terrace and a vault of 1722. The attached and surviving camellia house, also by Nash, of 1815 is full of plants.

The present house (above) was built in 1958 in a pleasant spot to the north-west of the earlier house and south-west of the intermediate 1860s house (by Lanyon, Lynn and Lanyon), which was burnt by the IRA in the 1920s. It is classical, well-proportioned, with a handsome fanlighted doorway.

The parkland is beautiful and contains many well distributed venerable trees. There are substantial shelter belts, which once accommodated walks and rides. Clumps and plantations also grace the fields.

There has been a long history of ornamental gardens and productive gardens on the site. It was visited, depicted and remarked upon by various commentators of the 18th and 19th centuries. A portrait of the landscape gardener John Sutherland by Martin Creggan (1822), hangs in the house.

Early 20th century photographs show well maintained acres in the days when many gardeners were employed to keep up a high standard commensurate with the size of the demesne.

In 1933 the surroundings were described as, 

‘… exceedingly pretty, with old oaks, lovely flowers and enchanting vistas of both river and lake, and with rockeries, water-lily ponds and ferneries in profusion.’  

A large and impressive mid- 19th century rockery built in a quarry near the lough shores is not planted up but is kept clear.

At the present time there are beautifully maintained contemporary gardens at the house and adaptations of the walled garden planting for modern use. Glasshouses have been removed.

The arboretum is being reinforced and much new planting has been added in the vicinity of the house. There is a family graveyard, with a statue of a harpist by Victor Segoffin of 1923. There are many well maintained and listed estate buildings such as Ballealy Cottage c.1835.

The surviving gate lodges by James Sands are very fine: Dunmore Lodge c.1850; Antrim Lodge c.1848; White or Ballygrooby Lodge c.1848; and Randalstown Gate c.1848, which are all listed. The latter lodges belong to a period of enhancement on the demesne.

Two pre-1829 bridges are Dunmore Bridge and Deerpark Bridge. The Deer Park, on the western side of the River Main, was sold to the Department of Agriculture before the last war and is known as Randalstown Forest.

In 1872 the O'Neill Estate comprised 64,163 acres, making it one of the three greatest estates in County Antrim.

Arms of 1st Earl O'Neill courtesy of European Heraldry. First published in May, 2010.

Rotten Website

I have endeavoured twice within the last two days to book a ticket for Hansel and Gretel on the website of the Grand Opera House, Belfast.

What a ghastly website it is! It is slow, ponderous, crashes occasionally; and finally, when it comes to payment, up pops:

We are sorry, but an error has occurred whilst trying to process your request:
Object reference not set to an instance of an object.

Eh?

This has happened several times and, as a consequence, the GOH has lost revenue. 

I refuse to waste time and money phoning them. I might call at their box office the next time I'm in Belfast.

They need a new website with the technical capacity to enable it to cope with bookings and enquiries adequately.

Incidentally, they also persist in charging £1 for:

Please choose a delivery method for your tickets:

Standard Mail (£1 fee)

Collect at Box Office (£1 fee)

The cost of the selected delivery method will be 1.00 GBP.

Tullynally Castle

THE EARLS OF LONGFORD WERE THE PENULTIMATE LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY WESTMEATH, WITH 15,014 ACRES

The ancient and noble family of Pakenham, originally known as de Pakynham or de Pakenham, was long established in England during the 13th century.

EDMUND PAKENHAM (b 1547) was Secretary to his first cousin, Sir Henry Sydney, Lord Deputy of Ireland. He was Clerk-Comptroller of the Revels in 1595, to ELIZABETH I.

HENRY PAKENHAM (1618-90) was a captain between 1642-65 in the Parliamentary Dragoons in Ireland. On 17 October 1665 he was granted lands that included acreage in the Barony of Bantry, County Wexford, and Tullynally, County Westmeath, in lieu of £4,363 arrears of pay. He was MP for Navan in 1667.

One of his sons, SIR THOMAS PAKENHAM, was invested as a Knight in 1693; was Prime Sergeant-at-law, Ireland in 1695; MP for Augher, County Tyrone between 1695-99.

Thomas Pakenham's grandson, also Thomas Pakenham MP, was elevated to the Peerage as the 1st Baron Longford.

Thomas Francis Dermot Pakenham, 8th and present Earl of Longford (b 1933), known simply as Thomas Pakenham, is a historian and arborist who has written several prize-winning books. 

Thomas Pakenham does not use his title and did not use his courtesy title before succeeding his father. However, he has not disclaimed his British titles under the Peerage Act 1963 and the Irish peerages cannot be disclaimed as they are not covered by the Act.

He married Valerie Susan Scott in 1964 and they have four children:

• Lady Anna Maria Pakenham, b. 26 July 1965
• Lady Eliza Pakenham, b. 3 November 1966
• Edward Melchior Pakenham, Lord Silchester, b. 6 January 1970
• The Hon Frederick Augustus Pakenham, b. 27 November 1971

Tullynally Castle, formerly Pakenham Hall, near Castlepollard in County Westmeath, has been the home of the Pakenhams, later Earls of Longford, for over 350 years.

The original 17th century fortified house was remodelled first as a comfortable Georgian mansion, then as a huge rambling gothic revival castle in the early 1800s, by the 2nd Earl.

Mark Bence-Jones describes it as having

"a long, picturesque sky-line of towers, turrets, battlements and gateways stretching among the trees of its rolling park. Tullynally covers a greater area than than any other castellated country house in Ireland; it looks not so much like a castle as a small fortified town; a Camelot of the Gothic Revival."

It is still lived in as the family home, now probably one of the largest in Ireland to survive in private hands. The interiors, part Georgian, part Gothic revival, have a fine collection of furniture and pictures.

Guided tours also take in the splendid Victorian kitchens and laundries, complete with all their equipment.

The gardens, like the castle are on a magnificent scale, taking in nearly 12 acres.

Terraced lawns around the castle overlook superb 18th century parkland. The adjoining woodland gardens and walled gardens date largely from the early 19th century and encompass a grotto of eroded limestone from nearby Lough Derravaragh and two ornamental lakes.

The present owners have added a Chinese garden, complete with pagoda and a Tibetan garden of waterfalls and streams; and a local sculptor has made fantastic woodcarvings in existing roots and trees.

The walled gardens have extensive flower borders and an avenue of magnificent 200 year old Irish yews. For children, there is also an Adventure Trail leading to the lower lake, and for those who wish to take the gardens more slowly, there is an assortment of delightful, ornamental summer houses and seats, each offering a different view.

Longford arms courtesy of European Heraldry.