Like jumping back in time reading that⌠Hard to believe that world still exists. A good pal of mine was invited out to an elderly ladyâs house in Clare a few years back to do an oral history piece. Took a few visits to complete and he became âacquaintedâ with the good lady. From protestant old money ⌠insisted he came to the next party she was holding - mainly older folks but servants and old style big table style dinner party. Heâs been to a 3/4 of these over the last few years⌠not sure what they make of the lower class âboyâ being invited in but he said it was mind blowing⌠talk of lady this, and sir that⌠Land, hunting , horse riding etc. etc. Like a forgotten world.
Sheâs in her 90s now and her husband served with Thatcherâs husband at the tail end if ww2⌠Iâve disclosed before but Maggie flew into Shannon a few times during the 80s and only the top boys in Irish security forces knew about it.
Most of the lads here that came from a bit of land were squired from meâlord back in the day shur⌠The poor girlâs family given a few acres and a few sows and told be on their way.
Plenty of them left. Down our way, Lord Waterford with his lovely estate in Curraghmore, where they host All Together Now. The Duke of Devonshire still has Lismore Castle. Some of them were very skilled at holding on to their wealth. Others obviously less good.
I wouldnât know much about it but I canât stand the Hunt. Think the counties are very post and mainly protestant. I met two of them in a different walk of life and were extremely sound.
It was a pain changing the bank cards,â says Lord Waterford, 9th Marquis of Waterford. Heâs telling me about becoming Lord Waterford back in February.
âYou changed your cards?â
âWell I had to, I was the Earl of Tyrone before,â he says. âSo it said âHenry Tyroneâ on my credit card.â
âNot âthe Earl of Tyrone?ââ
âYou donât fit into the boxes when you have a title.â
âWhat does it say now? â
ââHenry Waterfordâ. Iâll tell you, when I went into the bank manager he was fairly confused. He said normally you have to go through all these [processes]. Theyâre worried about people money-laundering, you see, but he said âI think this is a different situationâ.â