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Irish Independent
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Obituary: Lord Henry Mount Charles, aristocrat and businessman who turned Slane Castle into a music mecca
Over the decades the picturesque venue has hosted concerts by U2, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Madonna and many others, earning him the added title of 'the rock and roll peer'. Mount Charles took over the Co Meath castle from his father, Frederick – the 7th Marquess of Conyngham – in the summer of 1976, after he was given a stark choice: assume control of the 'family firm' or the estate would be sold. This ultimatum came after Frederick decided to domicile himself in the Isle of Man because of the imposition of a wealth tax by the Fine Gael finance minister, Richie Ryan. 'It was a move I made reluctantly, for in the depths of my heart I knew it was the end of my freedom to plough my own furrow, and that I was casting myself in a stereotyped role, from which I was going to have great difficulty escaping,' Henry wrote in his autobiography. 'From being my own master where I could escape from the feeling of being, at times, a stranger in my own country, I was thrown back, aged twenty-five, as Lord Mount Charles, owner of the castle. 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.' In the years that followed, Mount Charles – or Mr Conyngham, as former taoiseach Charlie Haughey insisted on calling him – harboured political ambitions but failed to be elected for Fine Gael to the Dáil for the Louth constituency in 1992 or the Senate in 1997. He also flirted with the idea of joining Dessie O'Malley's Progressive Democrats, but that too came to nothing. Instead, Lord Henry (he officially he became the 8th Marquess of Conyngham on the death of his father in 2009) was best known for his rock and roll lifestyle, wearing odd socks and a seemingly laid-back approach to life which included writing blogs and a column for the Irish Mirror. His autobiography was titled Public Space – Private Life: A Decade at Slane Castle, indicating that while he maintained a public persona to publicise the castle and its various business activities, he also tried to live another life as a blue-blooded aristocrat with close connections to the titled families of Ireland and Britain. Henry Vivien Pierpont Conyngham was born on May 25, 1951. Although he grew up in Slane and always considered himself Irish, he was educated at Harrow, the upper-class English public school, and later Harvard in the United States, before spending a year working in an Anglican mission in South Africa. ADVERTISEMENT In September 1971, barely 21 years of age, he married Juliet Kitson, and was living in a London basement with her and their first child when through her mother, Penelope, he got to know the American tycoon, J Paul Getty. Then considered the richest man in the world, Getty liked 'to be surrounded by a court of shallow women who flattered him', according to Mount Charles. Through this social circle at the Getty mansion in Surrey, Mount Charles got his first real job with the publishing house, Faber. He had barely settled into the role when he got the call from his father to return to Slane. Henry insisted that if he was to come back to Ireland, he would only accept total control. Once back home, Mount Charles became the representative of auction house Sotheby's, searching out treasures for the international auction market. He also took in wealthy paying guests, opened a restaurant in the grounds and held lavish shooting parties during the 'season'. Slane was also touted as a film location and among the stars entertained in the castle were the actress Lesley-Anne Down during the filming of The First Great Train Robbery, and Lee Marvin when he came to film The Big Red One. Slane also featured in an episode of the RTÉ soap opera The Riordans, and Mount Charles played a stiff-upper-lip British officer in an episode of Remington Steele, starring Pierce Brosnan, a 'commoner' from nearby Navan. In 1981 Mount Charles teamed up with concert promoters Eamonn McCann and Denis Desmond for an outdoor concert at Slane Castle featuring Thin Lizzy, with U2 as supporting act. Although it initially divided the village, the concert drew a crowd of 18,000 and was a huge success. It marked the beginning of annual concerts that brought the biggest rock and roll acts in the world to perform with the River Boyne as a backdrop. Around the same time his marriage was in turmoil and in March, 1983, his wife Juliet and their three children moved out, going to live in the Isle of Man. After the success of the first concert, Mount Charles then went after the biggest rock band in the world, The Rolling Stones. Mick Jagger had dined in Slane Castle during the 1970s when his friend Desmond Guinness of Leixlip Castle brought him and his wife Bianca for dinner with Mount Charles' father, 'who was astonished that he seemed so civilised'. Jagger and company opted to play Slane Castle, on Saturday July 24, 1982. 'A tidal wave hit that castle' Mount Charles recalled, and it included a long 'session' drinking Guinness with Jagger and his new girlfriend Jerry Hall. The Bob Dylan concert in the summer of 1984 led to a crisis that almost closed the castle as a concert venue. Fuelled by drink and drugs, an element of the attendance smashed up the village. It wasn't until late on the night of the concert that gardaí were able to regain control. It was the recording of an album, rather than a concert, that would get Slane Castle back on track Mount Charles later called them 'gurriers, bastards, drunken louts'. He was consoled by Bono and Senator Michael D Higgins, but the following morning's Sunday papers ran with headlines such as 'Savagery at Slane', and many local people held him personally responsible for the carnage. It was the recording of an album, rather than a concert, that would get Slane Castle back on track. After discussions with manager Paul McGuinness, U2 recorded their album The Unforgettable Fire, at the castle in 1984. 'U2 had helped inaugurate Slane as a venue, and they were sympathetic to the pull and the atmosphere and the great antiquity that pervaded the Boyne Valley,' Mount Charles said. On a champagne-tasting trip in France, Mount Charles met Iona Grimston, who was doing some work for Moet at the time. Their relationship blossomed and they married in 1985. They have one daughter, Tamara. Although mainly associated with Slane Castle, Henry Mount Charles lived most of the latter part of his life at nearby Beau Parc, a smaller stately home that was left to him by a bachelor relative, Sir Oliver Lampart, in 1986. After restoring the house, he and his wife moved in, finding it 'more intimate and more private' and a respite from the frenetic activity of Slane Castle. The castle caught fire in 1992. It suffered considerable damage, with many family artefacts and paintings lost in the blaze and the building itself was left a blackened shell. Despite the enormity of the task, Mount Charles oversaw its restoration in the years that followed. In more recent years, Mount Charles handed over control of many of the business activities at the castle to his son, Alex Conyngham. But he remained active despite a long-running battle against cancer that was first diagnosed in 2014 and returned in 2016. Mount Charles greatly added to 'the gaiety of the nation' over the last 40 years. He was a committed and passionate, if sometimes sceptical, Irishman. He also managed to demystify the wealthy Anglo-Irish Protestant ascendency and, as such, lessened some of the latent resentment against his class that marked them out as unwanted symbols of British rule. Lord Henry Mount Charles, the 8th Marquess of Conyngham, died on Wednesday, June 18, at the age of 74. He is survived by his wife, Iona, and his four children.
Washington Post
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- Washington Post
A century ago, this designer set women free. And gave them pockets.
Claire McCardell, forgotten by too many, is the ingenious designer who understood that women could be comfortable and stylish. Imagine that. Naturally, she was an American, born in Frederick, Maryland, in 1905. McCardell put women in ballet slippers, denim, leggings, modern bathing suits, dolman sleeves, leotards and wrap dresses (decades before Diane von Furstenberg). She gave women pockets, which had long been deemed unseemly in female attire, even empowering and dangerous, as they could conceal love letters, money, a pistol. Nobel Prizes have been bestowed for less.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Walkersville resident trooper commander expresses commitment to program
The head of the contingent of Maryland State Police resident troopers that patrol Walkersville affirmed the agency's commitment to the program, as the town prepares to look at possible alternatives. The five resident troopers who the town pays for have a proud history of being involved in the Walkersville community, Cpl. Gary Conklin told the town's burgess and commissioners Wednesday. In the first five months of the year, two of the Walkersville resident troopers have been named Trooper of the Month for the Frederick barrack, Conklin said, and his superiors have expressed their support for the program and its continuation. Conklin said he has been a resident trooper since 2013 and the unit's supervisor since 2017, and has turned down several promotions or transfers to other units to stay in the role. He said he plans to be the supervisor until he retires in 16 years, as long as the program remains active. 'This role is a unique one, in that I have the dual rule of doing everything in my power to keep both the town and the State Police happy with our service,' Conklin said. The town included $1.9 million in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget it approved in May to cover costs and overtime of the troopers. Commissioner Bob Yoder described the cost of the agreement with Maryland State Police for the town's law enforcement at that meeting as 'astronomical.' He suggested that the town form a subcommittee to examine possible alternatives. After Conklin's comments at Wednesday's meeting, Yoder told him that he thinks the resident troopers do an excellent job in the town, and his concern is only financial. 'I want to make that crystal clear. It's about the dollars,' Yoder said. Part of Yoder's criticism of the police agreement stemmed from the commissioners' decision to take more than $421,000 from the town's savings of more than $5.8 million to cover part of the cost of balancing the budget. On Wednesday, Commissioner Russ Winch questioned the idea that taking the money from the savings created a problem for the town. The Government Finance Officers Association recommends maintaining 38% of total reserves for small municipalities such as Walkersville, he said. With Walkersville's reserves, 38% would be about $2.2 million, and 50% would be $2.9 million, he said. Even without the $421,000 taken for the budget, Walkersville's savings were 95% of even the most conservative estimate for keeping money on hand, he said. Workshop on zoning map The burgess and commissioners will hold a workshop at their June 25 meeting to discuss changes to the town's zoning map. The town's Planning Commission has been working on a zoning map, after the adoption of the town's comprehensive plan, Planning and Zoning Administrator Susan J. Hauver said Wednesday. The recommended map is consistent with the comprehensive plan, but it will be up to the burgess and commissioners to decide how to move forward, Hauver said. Possible changes include rezoning several residential properties and a transition from three types of industrial districts to two, she said.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Frederick dentist expected to return to practice after 90-day jail sentence
A Frederick dentist is expected to return to his practice after serving a jail sentence, according to his office. Dr. Brian Motz, 45, who lives near Myersville, began serving his 90-day jail sentence at the Frederick County Adult Detention Center on April 25 after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of misusing a phone to repeatedly call and harass his ex-fiancee. The entrance to Motz's practice, Monocacy Valley Dental on Thomas Johnson Drive, was locked when Frederick News-Post reporters visited on Monday. A receptionist who answered the door said the practice was closed. A receptionist told News-Post reporters on Monday that the practice will reopen June 17, when Motz returns from a 'leave of absence.' A voicemail greeting from the dental practice also states that normal operating hours will resume June 17. The News-Post left Motz two messages on Friday at a phone number listed as his in court documents, but did not receive a response. A message left for him at the dental practice on Friday was not immediately returned. Motz's attorney, Caroline Norman Frost, declined to comment on the case when reached by a News-Post reporter by phone on Thursday afternoon. According to court records, Motz was sentenced to serve his 90-day sentence on weekends, meaning he reports to jail Friday evenings and is released on Sunday evenings. Weekend incarceration allows individuals to maintain aspects of work and personal life while serving their sentence. However, when reached by phone on the morning of Friday, June 6, and again on Wednesday, a woman who answered the phone at the detention center said Motz was there both days. When asked if Motz's sentence to serve time on weekends was altered, the woman said she couldn't answer questions about his sentence. In addition to the telephone misuse charge, a grand jury indicted Motz on four additional charges: electronic communication with the intent to harass, repeated conduct of harassment, possession of cocaine and the use of a credit card without authorization. According to Frederick County State's Attorney's Office spokesperson Jacqueline Rottmann, the state declined to prosecute Motz on four of his five charges through an agreement reached prior to his plea hearing. The harassment charge to which Motz pleaded guilty was related to incidents in August and September 2023 involving the ex-fiancée. Court documents do not provide more details on the circumstances that led to the charge to which he pleaded guilty. A sentencing memorandum seeking probation, filed in April, states: 'This offense occurred during a period of extreme personal and emotional distress for Dr. Motz.' In 2023, Motz was charged in connection with a separate alleged telephone misuse offense in Washington County involving a different woman who was his ex-girlfriend. He entered an Alford plea in that case. An Alford plea is not an admission of guilt, but an acknowledgment that prosecutors have enough evidence to convict at trial. Motz received probation before judgment, meaning as long as he completes the probation successfully, his record will not reflect a conviction. The Washington County judge sentenced Motz to one year of supervised probation and a $500 fine. In Motz's sentencing memorandum for the Frederick County case, Frost told the court: 'A criminal conviction — even a misdemeanor — may trigger formal disciplinary proceedings by the Maryland State Board of Dental Examiners.' Section 4–315 of Maryland code states that the Board may place sanctions such as suspensions, revocation of licenses, probation and reprimands on violators of the code. A violation includes, among other reasons, a licensee who is convicted of or pleads guilty to a crime involving 'moral turpitude.' According to Maryland's health occupations code, moral turpitude includes 'conduct that may undermine public trust.' The Maryland Board of Dental Examiners website does not reflect any action being taken against Motz's dental license under the public disciplinary orders, as of Friday afternoon. The News-Post asked the Maryland Board of Dental Examiners if it was aware of Motz's jail sentence and if there has been a board investigation. David McCallister, a public information officer for the board, declined to comment, stating that the board 'does not comment on investigations, or investigations that are ongoing.' Motz founded Monocacy Valley Dental in 2012 and is the sole owner and operator. According to his sentencing memorandum, he has also volunteered as a staff dentist at Citizens Nursing Home in Frederick for over a decade, providing free dental care to elderly residents. Motz's memorandum states that he 'is more than an employer — he is a mentor, a guide and a pillar of stability for a team of 12 staff members.' His employees describe him as 'a life-changing figure who gave them careers, stability and purpose,' the memorandum says. Motz's attorney argued in the memorandum that his incarceration would cause the practice to close indefinitely, causing employees to lose health benefits and income and a 'ripple effect that will devastate multiple Frederick County households.' After serving his sentence, Motz will be on supervised probation for five years, according to court documents. The Frederick County Sheriff's Office and the Frederick County State's Attorney Office declined to comment on Motz's sentence.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
‘Me or him.' Tacoma man charged with fatally shooting 66-year-old stepfather
A Tacoma man is accused of intentionally killing his 66-year-old stepfather in their home Thursday afternoon. Prosecutors charged Jason Matthew Frederick, 45, with first-degree murder for the shooting. A plea of not guilty was entered on Frederick's behalf during his arraignment Friday. Pierce County Superior Court Judge Pro Tempore Meagan Foley set his bail at $1 million. The victim has not yet been identified, pending confirmation from the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office. Officers were dispatched at 5:24 p.m. to a home in the 5800 block of Pacific Avenue after a woman reported her son, Frederick, just shot her husband. She said it was intentional and the victim was Frederick's stepfather, according to charging documents. Frederick walked down the stairs when officers arrived and complied with their demands, documents show. The victim was sitting in a recliner near a pool of blood. He appeared to have been shot in the back of the head and was dead, which was later confirmed by firefighters. A search of the home showed the shotgun used in the shooting was partially concealed in a case located in a basement bedroom, according to documents. Frederick's mother told officers that her son had been 'acting crazy lately' and her other son tried to stop the defendant from shooting the man, document show. After officers advised Frederick of his Miranda rights, he allegedly told police that his stepfather had been been starving him and that he 'prevented a bunch of bad things from happening.' When asked by an officer how he did that, Frederick allegedly said, 'I shot him ... I shot [the victim,]' according to charging documents. Frederick allegedly said he intended to shoot the victim with the shotgun. He allegedly told police, 'He's been married to my mom for a long time ... things just started getting more intense, you know. It got to feeling like it was gonna be me or him first,' documents show. His mother told detectives in an interview at Tacoma Police Department Headquarters that Frederick had been living in the home after he was injured in a car crash, documents show. His mother alleged Frederick had been 'abnormally paranoid' and focused on his stepfather, documents show. She said there had been arguments between the two but did not know of any physical altercations. She said before the shooting, she was making dinner and her husband was in his recliner in the living room, documents show. She saw Frederick allegedly carrying a shotgun when he walked towards his stepdad. She heard a gunshot and shouted, 'You just shot my husband.' Frederick allegedly responded with, 'Yeah, I shot him.' He then went upstairs until police arrived, according to his mother. Frederick made several allegations against the victim, at one point claiming he was a 'computer scammer' and that he was mentally abusive, documents show. Frederick told detectives that before the shooting he was stuck in the basement most of the day, documents show. He allegedly reiterated that 'it got to a point where I felt it was either me or him, documents show.' He said that he allegedly got the shotgun from its case, put one shell in and '...went upstairs... execution style,' documents show. Frederick allegedly described to detectives shooting his stepfather in the head and his mother's reaction. When his mother asked him why, Frederick allegedly replied, 'Well, I think you know why.' Court records show Frederick has previous convictions, including driving with a suspended license from 2007 in Gig Harbor and driving under the influence in 2005.
