Latest news with #Slane
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Book of condolences for Henry Mount Charles opens at Slane Castle
The grounds of Slane Castle in Co Meath were opened to the public on Saturday to allow people celebrate the life of Lord Henry Mount Charles, who died earlier this week . The 74-year-old, who is best known for staging rock concerts at his home in Slane, died at St James's Hospital on Wednesday from cancer. He was first diagnosed with lung cancer more than a decade ago. In a statement, his son Alex Conyngham, the Marquess Conyngham, expressed his gratitude for the 'countless expressions of sympathy and shared memories'. 'Dad's warmth, spirit and dedication to Slane, its people and its legacy forged friendships that extended incredibly far and wide. The depth of feeling shown is a testament to the extraordinary connections he made throughout his life.' READ MORE A book of condolences will be available for signing at Slane Castle this weekend. The grounds are open until 6pm on Saturday and from 10am to 6pm on Sunday. [ Ireland was a rock'n'roll backwater when Henry Mount Charles brought Dylan, Springsteen and The Rolling Stones to Slane Opens in new window ] The family say this will be an opportunity for all those who knew Lord Henry, enjoyed the magic of Slane or simply wish to express their sympathies to come together in his memory at the place he loved deeply. The 8th Marquess Conyngham is survived by his wife Iona, children Alex, Henrietta, Wolfe and Tamara, his brothers Patrick and Simon, family and friends. He will lie in repose at Slane Castle on Tuesday. Those wishing to pay their respects are invited to do so between 3pm and 7pm. A funeral service will take place on Wednesday at noon in St Patrick's Church of Ireland, Slane. Due to very limited space inside the Church, seating will be reserved and allocated for family, with provision made for those outside.
Dublin Live
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- 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 .
Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
'Lord Henry Mount Charles was one of the nicest people I ever met'
Lord Henry Mount Charles, who died after a long illness yesterday, was one of the nicest people I ever met in my life. He might have had a Harvard education, a posh voice, the owner of beautiful Slane Castle which he loved with a passion, but he was down to earth and as honest as they come. I met him as a cub reporter in 1981 when he was running his first ever Slane rock concert which starred Thin Lizzy and U-2. I was 19 and he was 30 and we became friends ever since. We had some great times together over the years. Parties after Slane, dinners in Beauparc which later became his home, drinks out and about in Dublin, and many intense political discussions on everything from the then Troubles in the north to the state of the Irish economy, and the political shenanigans in Fine Gael and Fianna Fail. I was a working class boy from Brookville Park, Drogheda and he ,a member of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy - but as the late John Hume would say we have more in common than what divided us. When Henry inherited the Slane estate he inherited a headache. He had to reinvent Slane and make it pay, easier said than done. The devastating fire at the Castle made it even more difficult but yet he never complained. He never saw himself as the owner but as the custodian of the estate to protect it for the next generation. But Henry had the drive, passion and energy to make it work and wow what a legacy he has left. He made Slane one of the most famous rock and roll venues in the world and created Slane Whiskey and the fantastic distillery with the help of his beloved son Alex and it is now one of the top selling brands in America. When I became editor of the Irish Mirror one of the first things I did was ask Henry to write a weekly column and this he did with great pride and passion for almost three decades. No matter where Henry was in the world he still wrote his column every week and as he battled lung cancer over the last ten years, there were many weeks when he was extremely ill but he never missed his deadline. He thought it amusing and yet inspiring that he had direct access to the working class people of Ireland and he loved and respected all of his readers. I last spoke to his Lordship as I always affectionately called him a few weeks ago and although his voice was weak he was still in good spirits. Every time I asked how are you he would respond "I am alive thank God.' Such was his low immune system and the risk of catching a killer infection Henry had to stay away from people during the last few years of his life. But yet he didn't complain and enjoyed every second of his daily walks along the river Boyne around his Slane and nearby Beauparc estates. We nearly lost him a few times but he lived to tell the tale. Every time we spoke he always praised the wonderful staff at St James Hospital in Dublin where he was treated for his illness. For a fella with a posh voice Henry was as down to earth as they come and never looked down his nose at anyone. His roots were the people of Slane, the people of Meath and the people of Ireland. Nothing pleased him more than the Good Friday Agreement and to see peace finally arrive in ireland. The late former Northern Ireland Secretary of State Mo Mowlam was a great friend of his and he was devastated when she died from a brain tumour. His lordship may have gone to the great rock concert in the sky but he left nothing behind on this earth, he lived every minute of every day and left nothing behind. He adored his wonderful wife Iona and his children. They were his pride and joy. Henry was a legend and it was a privilege to know him. Ireland is a poorer place without him.
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Lord Henry Mount Charles, the custodian of Slane Castle, dies aged 74
Lord Henry Mount Charles, the custodian of Slane Castle who turned it into one of Ireland's most iconic gig venues, has died at the age of 74. The driving force behind turning the Meath estate into the location that has played host to acts such as U2, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie and the Rolling Stones died on Wednesday following a long battle with cancer. The first Slane festival took place in 1981, featuring a young U2 and headlined by Thin Lizzy. '[He] 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 family said. 'His visionary leadership and generosity touched countless lives, while his warmth, humour, and resilience endeared him to friends, colleagues, and admirers across generations. 'The family wish to express their heartfelt gratitude to the exceptional staff at St. James's Hospital, as well as the many caregivers who supported Lord Henry with compassion over the last decade. They are also deeply moved by the outpouring of public kindness and solidarity during this difficult journey. '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.' More to follow...
The Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Model nepo baby strips to a bikini and shows off her tattoos – but can you guess who her very famous rock star dad is?
THIS nepo baby comes from music royalty, thanks to her famous father. In fact, her dad is the lead singer of one of the biggest rock band's in the world - but can you guess who she is the daughter of? 5 5 5 The nepo baby in question is Marcella Hatfield, 23, who is Metallica star James Hatfield's daughter. She is the youngest of the musician's three kids, and has a sister called Cali, 27, and brother called Castor, 25. James welcomed his trio of kids with ex-wife Francesca Tomasi, who he was married to for 25 years until 2022. Marcella's siblings have both followed their famous father into the world of music, but she has taken a different route. In fact, she is carving out a career for herself as a model. In her latest Instagram selfie, heavily-tattooed Marcella can be seen stripping down to a bikini. She is known for posting modelling shots, and works with a range of different brands. Marcella's famous father has previously opened up about about being a parent saying it can be "hard". 'Just because my family kind of disintegrated as a kid doesn't mean my parents didn't have unconditional love for me," James told Loudwire. "I know there are parents out there that struggle with loving their kids, or not knowing how to love their kids. Rock legends Metallica perform a cin Slane, Ireland "Being a parent is so hard. I'll either smother that kid with control or just go, 'Whatever you do, I don't want to know.' "Being in the middle is so hard. So hard, in the very middle. Showing that you care and being hated as a parent. "And even when you're doing a good job, you're hated.' Marcella's father shot to fame in the 80s, and has gone onto become one of the biggest rockers of all time. He co-founded heavy metal band Metallica, after answering an advert by drummer Lars Ulrich in a local Los Angeles newspaper. As the lead singer of the band, James has had huge success around the world, with an army of fans following him everywhere. Together with Metallica he has won ten Grammy Awards, as well as releasing 11 studio albums and 24 singles. James is often regarded as one of the greatest heavy metal rhythm guitar players of all time.
