Inside star-studded life of King of Slane Castle, how Rolling Stones gig was ‘game-changer' & why no one called him Lord
SLANE Castle legend Lord Henry Mount Charles has been remembered as the man who put Ireland on the music map.
The 8th Marquess Conyngham
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Slane Castle owner Lord Henry has passed away aged 74
Credit: Slane Castle/PA Wire
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He's been remembered as the man who put Ireland on the music map
Credit: Independent News6
The move to host the Rolling Stones at Slane was described as a 'game changer'
Credit: Chris Doyle/News Group Newspapers Ltd
And Peter Aiken — who staged some of the biggest shows at the iconic
The famed music promoter told The Irish Sun: 'No one called him Lord, he was just Henry.
'We met him when he was still a young man and through the years Henry was such a hugely positive thing for music in Ireland.
'What helped was Henry's huge interest in music. He understood it and he was a great frontman for the Slane concerts.
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'He enjoyed the fame and the media loved him. When he stood up at the front gates of Slane, all the punters going in all knew him.'
The Belfast man and his late father Jim put on Slane gigs including the
And Peter said his dad's decision to team up with Henry to host the Rolling Stones at Slane in front of 70,000 fans in 1982 was a 'game changer'.
Peter told us: 'Back then, no one had done gigs of this scale in Ireland. People like Henry and my father had to make it up as they went along.
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'The Rolling Stones doing Slane was a game changer — they were coming off a huge tour and the place went crazy. That turned Slane Castle into an iconic venue very quickly.'
He also recalled how Henry's warm personality and charm helped to get big acts over to play in Ireland as the
Hundreds queue outside Slane Castle hours ahead of Harry Style's sold-out concert
Peter said: 'They were tricky times when you think about the Hyde Park bombs, which happened before the Stones played.
'But we got the big acts over and Henry was positive and charming. He always got on and liked musicians.'
Lord Henry previously recalled the time Stones frontman
The Castle owner remembered: 'I got a call from my father, who was still in residence, saying, 'I've got some chap coming to dinner. A Mick Jigger? I think he might be a musician.' I was like, 'Do you mean THE Mick Jagger?' It turned out it was.
'I TOOK HIM FOR A FEW JARS'
'I took him for a few jars in the nightclub we used to have at Slane and one of the locals, spotting him in his white suit, went up and said to Mick, 'Has anyone told you you're the spit of that Rolling Stones fella!''
Henry's ancestral home has played host to everyone from Helena Christensen to Johnny Depp.
And those who made it over saw some bizarre sights — including the Rolling Stones playing table tennis, or David Bowie typing on an old fashioned typewriter before his concert in 1987 on his Glass Spider tour.
While massive names like Bruce Springsteen headlined his huge stage, other rock royalty would jet in to sneak a peek at their music rivals, sometimes to the shock of locals.
DRIVE WITH PETE
Henry recalled: 'When Bruce Springsteen played in 1985, Pete Townsend from The Who arrived over to stay with me.
'The day after the concert we went out for a drive in my car.
'I can remember the two of us picking up a hitchhiker. The poor guy was still a little worse for wear and thought he was dreaming when he got into the car and found I was driving and Pete was in the back seat. All he could say was, 'Jaysus'.
'And he still looked a bit shook when we left him up the road in the village of Slane.'
SPRINGSTEEN NERVOUS
Henry recalled Springsteen was so nervous performing his show for the crowd in 1985, he insisted on everyone coming in to watch rehearsals.
He said: 'Bruce had played to big crowds before, but none as massive as the 80,000 attending Slane — and he was nervous.
'To alleviate those nerves, he rehearsed his entire set — it must have been heading towards 30 songs — in the dining-room to a small gang of us, which was every bit as extraordinary as it sounds.
'Rather touchingly, he came back a few years ago with his family to revisit what turned out to be the scene of his triumph. After Slane, it just got bigger and bigger for him.'
GALLAGHER CONVENTION
Oasis turned out to have local roots when the Gallagher brothers showed up to support REM in 1995.
Henry said: 'Everyone knows about their connection to Mayo, but the Gallaghers' roots are actually from up the road in Duleek.
'A few days before Oasis came back and headlined Slane in 2009, we had an event in the castle nightclub, and every Gallagher in Ireland must have been there.
'I had to go out and when I returned there was a plastic bag hanging off the door, and inside it a bottle of whiskey and a note from one of the family saying, 'Thank you!'
TOUGH TIMES TOO
'They were crawling out of the woodwork that night.'
There were tough times for Henry through the years as well.
The dad of three told The Irish Sun last December how U2 star Adam Clayton helped him overcome his fight with alcohol addiction.
The concert boss told us how he had stayed sober for the past decade after a long battle with booze, which he admits was triggered by the brutal death suffered by Tim Kidman, a gamekeeper at Slane Castle in September 1989, which was followed by watching his home go up in smoke in 1991.
BOOZE BATTLE
Henry told us: 'The thing about alcohol is that it can be used to numb pain and I was in a lot of pain back then.
'There is a history of drinking in my family. I was a binge drinker more than anything.
'There is nothing wrong with admitting you had some good times but I knew I was damaging myself and it had to stop.'
The landowner recalled how he had 'hit rock bottom' drinking alone in London and sought the help of one time fellow hellraiser Adam Clayton who he became friends with when U2 recorded their Unforgettable Fire album at Slane Castle in 1984.
'SOMETHING HAD TO BE DONE'
Henry said: 'There is nothing in admitting you had some good times (drinking), that was one of the things that Adam and I used to discuss.
'But we both knew something had to be done and Adam, having been through this himself, put me in touch with a good friend who is in AA.
'I'd been through rehab before and it hadn't worked, but I was so determined that when I attended an AA meeting Adam's friend later told me that 'I got it', (both in acknowledging I was an alcoholic and I had to stop).
Henry revealed he hadn't had a drink for a decade or more, adding: 'Adam says the fact that I could set up a whiskey company in my home, was proof of how well I had done (recovering from alcoholism).'
THE MAN WHO SAVED SLANE CASTLE
Henry will be remembered as the man who saved Slane Castle after the devastating fire at his home in 1991.
During the blaze, he attempted to save priceless family heirlooms as his home burned, and staff later feared Henry might abandon the ruined castle and sell up.
However, the feisty owner said: 'I was determined, come hell or high water, I was going to have to find a way to rebuild Slane.'
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Queen were among the huge acts to play Slane down the years
Credit: Independent News6
Henry's ancestral home has played host to everyone - including Axl Rose
Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
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Henry will be remembered as the man who saved Slane Castle
Credit: Chris Doyle/News Group Newspapers Ltd
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Dublin Live
5 hours ago
- Dublin Live
Slane Castle owner Lord Henry Mount Charles brought rock & roll to Ireland
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Slane Castle owner Lord Henry Mount Charles was hailed as the man who brought rock and roll to Ireland who we 'owe a great debt to' as his family announce he has lost his brave battle to cancer. The owner of Slane Castle, where he has hosted some of Ireland's most memorable concerts since the 1980s, passed away peacefully in the late hours of June 18 following a long battle with cancer. He was 74 years old. In a statement, his family said: 'Lord Henry leaves behind an extraordinary legacy as a passionate steward of Ireland's heritage, dedicating his life to preserving Slane Castle and transforming it into a beacon of culture, music, and community. 'His visionary leadership and generosity touched countless lives, while his warmth, humour, and resilience endeared him to friends, colleagues, and admirers across generations. They added: 'Lord Henry's light will continue to shine through the lives he enriched and the enduring contributions he made to Ireland's cultural landscape. He will be profoundly missed, but never forgotten.' In a statement, the President said he was 'saddened' to learn of Lord Henry's passing, and praised his vision in transforming Slane Castle into one of the country's most iconic music venues. 'Lord Henry's contribution was quite unique and a very important turning point in live music in Ireland when he decided to begin using the natural amphitheatre at Slane Castle as a venue at which public performances could be held by some of the most contemporary makers of music,' President Higgins said. 'I have been saddened over recent years to hear of his struggles with cancer, about which he spoke personally and helpfully of his experiences.' The President also extended his condolences to Lord Henry's wife, Iona, their children Alexander, Henrietta, Wolfe and Tamara, and to 'all his family and friends'. Taoiseach Micheal Martin told RTE 's News At One that Lord Henry was 'iconic' and his death marked an 'end of an era'. He said: "In terms of music and culture he left an incredible impact and in terms of Slane. 'I mean he came back as a 25-year-old to run Slane. Thin Lizzy was their first band with U2 supporting. 'He was iconic. Slane is iconic. It is the end of an era in many respects in terms of architecturally, in terms of preserving Slane and making it economically viable but above all in terms of his impact on music and culture. 'We owe him a great debt, and he was a wonderfully charismatic person.' Tanaiste Simon Harris has also paid tribute to Lord Henry, the man 'who brought rock-and-roll to the iconic music venue that is Slane Castle'. Harris praised his 'unrivalled wit, warmth and generosity', and thanked him for bringing music, culture and pride to Co Meath. Fellow Meath man and Minister for State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, said the county 'has lost one of its finest gentlemen', praising his 'innate decency and good humour'. Speaking to us in 2019, Lord Mount Charles revealed it was a 'sharp eyed' radiographer in 2014 spotted something on his right lung after he initially went in with a kidney stone problem. He told us at the time: 'That is the thing, I was diagnosed with cancer in 2014. I was very lucky to get a diagnosis early because I had no symptoms. '[The diagnosis] came about as a result of a kidney stone and a sharp eyed radiography spotted something in my right lung. Other wise I would've been in a lot more trouble.' He said since his cancer diagnosis, he looked at life differently. 'It's been a journey. It has had its ups and downs. I nearly died Christmas a year ago. In fact, I was told my number was up. 'Somehow with brilliant care in St James and a brilliant oncologist, I got through it. (Image: Collins) 'You're damn right (look at things differently). I will be taking a very different approach to this year's show but on a larger thing of course, you appreciate life, and we prioritise things,' he added at the time. Aslan star Billy McGuinness was among the hundreds of tributes yesterday. Speaking to Joe Duffy on his Liveline show on RTE Radio 1, Billy said: 'I've met Henry over the years, because I live in Bettystown, and I would call out to Slane Castle quite regularly. 'He put back into refurbishing the castle, and it's absolutely fantastic now, with the brewing and everything, and his son, Alex, is running the place now.' Lord Henry opened up in 2021 about his battle with alcoholism, which followed a devastating fire at Slane Castle in 1991 that destroyed much of the interior of the building. 'After the fire, I used alcohol as a crutch to deal with a very wounded spirit, and I used spirits to cover over that wound,' he told the Irish Independent. He maintained U2 bassist Adam Clayton, with whom he became close friends in 1984, was 'hugely helpful' in getting him past these woes. (Image: Collins) Henry had taken over the running of Slane from his father at the age of 25 in 1976, after returning home from London, where he worked with book publishers Faber & Faber. He had received a call from his father, Frederick, to say that due to tax impositions, he was going to have to leave Slane and sell up – unless Lord Henry returned home. He wrote in his autobiography: 'I was an Anglo-Irish anachronism tolerated in a modern Ireland...I was returning to an Ireland I loved, but still a country bedevilled by division and much hypocrisy.' He and his first wife, American Juliet Kitson, mother of his three eldest children, divorced in 1985. Lord Henry's funeral arrangements will remain private as the family try to 'navigate this time of loss'. Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage .
RTÉ News
8 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Slane Castle open for public tributes to Lord Henry Mount Charles
The family of Lord Henry Mount Charles will open the gates of Slane Castle this weekend, inviting members of the public to pay their respects and sign a Book of Condolence in honour of the late music promoter and custodian of one of Ireland's most iconic venues. Lord Henry, who died on Tuesday aged 74 after a long illness, was widely credited with transforming Slane Castle into a globally recognised live music destination. His son, Alex, the Marquess Conyngham, said in a statement that the family had been "profoundly moved" by the public response to his passing. "We have been truly touched by the strength of public sentiment and are deeply grateful for the countless expressions of sympathy and shared memories," he said. "Dad's warmth, spirit and dedication to Slane, its people and its legacy forged friendships that extended incredibly far and wide." The Book of Condolence will be available to sign on the grounds of Slane Castle this Saturday and Sunday, 21 and 22 June, between 10am and 6pm. "This will be an opportunity for all those who knew Henry, enjoyed the magic of Slane, or simply wish to express their sympathies to come together in his memory at the place he loved so deeply," the family said in a statement. They also expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support and requested privacy as they grieve. Tributes have continued to pour in for Lord Henry, who was instrumental in bringing some of the world's biggest acts to Ireland over the past four decades. Artists including U2, Queen, Madonna and The Rolling Stones have all played Slane Castle under his stewardship. Concert promoter Denis Desmond of MCD described him as a true "rock 'n' roll icon" and a "visionary with an enormous sense of fun and a tremendous work ethic". "Henry had an enormous impact on the acts who played at Slane," Desmond said. "World-class performers would talk about him long after the final note sounded. He wanted everyone to have a great time, stay safe, and come again." Desmond recalled Lord Henry's hands-on approach, often working through the night and staying closely connected to the live music industry even during his later years in hospital. "His laugh was infectious," he added. "He had a sense of humour that often shone brightest in darker moments. Truly, we will not see his likes again."
Irish Times
10 hours ago
- Irish Times
How Henry Mount Charles brought Dylan, Springsteen and The Rolling Stones to a former rock'n'roll backwater
When Henry Mount Charles , who died on June 18th at the age of 74, first reframed his ancestral home of Slane Castle as a signature rock venue in 1981, it must have been more in hope than expectation. Ireland was then a rock'n'roll backwater rarely included on the touring schedule of the big international acts of the day, as it had a severe shortage of decent-sized venues. The backdrop of violence and the hunger strikes in the North did not help, but the Republic had succeeded in making itself a dispiriting place on its own. Fintan O'Toole, in his book We Don't Know Ourselves , outlined the grim picture. 'The number of unemployed people had doubled over the course of the 1970s. Mass emigration was back. There was a balance of payments crisis and government debt was out of control ... The whole project of making Ireland a normal Western European country was in deep trouble.' Yet there must have been some optimism in the music business, as in 1981 Slane had to compete with music festivals in Macroom, Co Cork, Ballisodare, Co Sligo, Castlebar, Co Mayo, and Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare. Most of those events were headlined by Irish acts, however – as indeed was Slane. Thin Lizzy were nearing the end of their career at the top, but supporting them that day in August was a four-piece on the rise from Dublin: U2 . READ MORE Although only about 25,000 people attended the first Slane concert, its success paved the way for future events and for Henry Mount Charles' emergence as a public figure of note. Slane's natural amphitheatre could safely accommodate numbers much greater than the modest first event. In addition, it was near Dublin and could be reached by bus or car in a relatively short time. [ Henry Mount Charles: A Lord in Slane – The strange blend of fact and fiction around one of the last Anglo-Irish eccentrics Opens in new window ] Rock music is a business. The bigger the audience, the easier it is to attract leading acts. Pay them the money and they will come. And so it proved, with the likes of The Rolling Stones , Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen happy to park their caravans down by the Boyne. Springsteen's concert in front of an estimated 65,000 fans marked an important shift in his career: it was the first time he and the E Street Band played in front of a stadium-sized outdoor audience. It would be the first of many lucrative concerts. As the profile of Slane grew, Mount Charles lapped it up. Although concerts were generally partnerships with the likes of MCD Productions and Aiken Promotions , Henry was the public face of the event. He was no less a performer than those artists he welcomed to Slane. Concert days were celebrated in high style with the great and the good in the castle. [ Foo Fighters, Oasis, U2, the Rolling Stones and more: Slane's 15 greatest acts – in reverse order Opens in new window ] He was keenly aware of the value of good publicity and no slouch when in search of it. The money generated by the concerts was a windfall of sorts, but, crucially, it allowed him to underpin the finances of the castle and its grounds, developing other projects, such as the Slane whiskey brand , and helping to provide the resources to overcome setbacks such as the fire of 1991. Although a very public personality, the young Henry Mount Charles – he was in his early 30s in 1981 – was good and genial company, interested in the world beyond his castle walls and indeed beyond his elite social milieu. Embracing the rock'n'roll world afforded him the opportunity to experience the thrill of meeting great artists and celebrities while banking enough to retain and maintain his beloved Slane Castle for future generations. That concert idea was good fortune indeed. Joe Breen wrote about rock music for The Irish Times from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s
