Latest news with #Troubles
Belfast Telegraph
a day ago
- Belfast Telegraph
A Bible in one hand and a bomb in the other, unrepentant Provo priest Fr Paddy Ryan died with blood on his hands
The hands of a Catholic priest who died this week were blood-stained by some of the most notorious atrocities of the Troubles, including the murder of three off-duty British Army soldiers in the Netherlands, the Brighton bomb and the 1982 Hyde Park bombing.
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Lord Henry Mount Charles has died aged 74
Lord Henry Mount Charles, best known for staging iconic rock concerts at his ancestral home of Slane Castle in Co Meath, has died at the age of 74. His family confirmed the news in a statement: "It is with profound sadness that the family of Lord Henry Mount Charles, The Marquess Conyngham announce his peaceful passing in the late hours of June 18th following a long and valiant battle with cancer. "A beloved husband, father, grandfather, and custodian of Slane Castle, Lord Henry's courage, and unwavering spirit inspired all who knew him." The 8th Marquess Conyngham had been sick for some time having first been diagnosed with lung cancer in 2014. He became a household name in the 1980s as some of the world's biggest rock 'n' roll stars took to the stage at his picturesque Meath venue for era-defining concerts. Lord Henry took over the running of the Slane estate in 1976 at the age of just 25, after returning home from London, where he worked with book publishers Faber & Faber. He had received a call from his father, Frederick, at the time to say that due to tax impositions, he was going to have to leave Slane and sell up - or else Lord Henry would have to come home. Born into an aristocratic family of partial Ulster-Scots descent, Lord Henry attended Harrow School in London before studying at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts. He became known as the Earl of Mount Charles, a courtesy title, in 1974. Despite succeeding his father as Marquess Conyngham in March 2009, he was affectionately known as Lord Henry Mount Charles, a name given to him by the press, for most of his life. His son Alex, who assumed the title Earl of Mount Charles, has lived at the castle for many years with Lord Henry and his wife, who was born Iona Grimston, opting to live upriver at the family-owned Beauparc House. Lord Henry often spoke about how he knew that the grounds of Slane Castle were a natural amphitheatre for open-air music and that they should be opened up to the public. Promoter Denis Desmond, now head of MCD, soon became a good friend of Lord Henry and the pair worked alongside promoters Eamonn McCann and the late Jim Aiken to get the venue off the ground. It was Irish rock band Thin Lizzy who first headlined Slane Castle on 16 August 1981 - supported by U2 - with some 18,000 concert-goers in attendance. The castle's debut as a venue came at a turbulent time when the hunger strikes were taking place during the Troubles and Anglo-Irish estates were being targeted. However, the concert was a success and was followed in the early years by other memorable headline acts such as The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Queen, and David Bowie. After a five-year absence, the longest since the event began in 1981, Slane returned in 1992. The five concerts of the 1990s were headlined by Guns N' Roses, Neil Young, R.E.M., The Verve, and Robbie Williams. The crowds at the best-selling gigs on 'Henry's lawn' eventually reached 80,000. However, there were also dark days. The Dylan concert in 1984 was marred by riots in Slane Village while there were two tragedies in the River Boyne on the day of the REM concert in 1995. Lord Henry's gamekeeper, Timothy Kidman, was killed by poachers on his land in 1989, something that deeply affected him. In 1984, U2 recorded their Unforgettable Fire album at Slane Castle, but in 1991, the castle was almost completely destroyed by a real fire, with valuable antiques and paintings - but thankfully no lives - lost. The crash of the Lloyd's insurance company around the same time, of which Lord Henry was an underwriter, caused further financial strain. In 1992, he ran in the general election for Fine Gael, polling fifth in the then-four-seater Louth constituency. With a €50m investment from Brown-Forman, the makers of Jack Daniels, the Mount Charles family launched Slane Irish Whiskey in 2017 and opened the distillery and visitor centre at Slane Castle. The previous year, Lord Henry had revealed that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer for a second time. He was also vocal about his relationship with alcohol in the past and how U2 bassist Adam Clayton helped him to get sober. Since the turn of the century, U2, Bryan Adams, Stereophonics, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Madonna, Oasis, Kings of Leon, Bon Jovi, Eminem, Foo Fighters, and Metallica are some of the other acts to have headlined Slane. The most recent concert in 2023 came after a four-year hiatus and saw a break from the rock 'n' roll tradition as pop star Harry Styles brought his world tour to Slane. The Mount Charles family said the concert was about welcoming a new generation of fans to the Meath venue and 80,000 of them turned up on the day to see the former One Direction member perform. In a documentary titled Henry Mount Charles: A Lord in Slane that aired on RTÉ last December, the patriarch of the Conyngham family spoke about his own mortality. In what was one of his last interviews, Lord Henry said: "Part of who I am and what I am and what I've done is keeping this estate together and now I know my son Alexander and his wife are there in the castle, the future is assured. "Slane, it has a draw, a pull, a fascination, and touches the spirit. I feel like a child of that. To me, there is no other place quite like it nor will there ever be," he said. Charismatic and enigmatic, Lord Henry was much like the rock stars he promoted. Part of his enduring legacy is the amazing memories he has given hundreds of thousands of people, particularly during the years when Ireland was not on the map for the big rock 'n' roll artists. He is survived by his wife, Lady Iona, and four adult children, Alexander, Henrietta, Wolfe, and Tamara. He and his first wife, the American Juliet Kitson, mother of his three eldest children, divorced in 1985.
Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
TV Review: Aistear an Amhráin sifts through Spandau Ballet's syrupy ballad Through the Barricades
Thomas 'Kidso' Reilly was murdered by a British soldier in West Belfast in 1983 as he ran away from an army foot patrol. Aistear an Amhráin (RTE One and RTE Player) tells the story, explaining how it inspired Spandau Ballet's power ballad Through the Barricades. This is a shame. Reilly's story is interesting. His brother Jim was the drummer in Belfast band Stiff Little Fingers; Thomas escaped the Troubles and ended up on the London pop scene ( the three members of Bananarama carried wreaths at his funeral ); you get a glimpse of the culture shock that would be familiar to anyone who left 1980s Ireland for a taste of Thatcher's London. The shame is that we have to listen to a lot of Spandau Ballet songs. Reilly worked with them for a while – when the song-writer Gary Kemp visited his grave in Belfast he saw the so-called Peace Wall dividing the two communities, giving him a title and theme for a Romeo and Juliet style ballad set in Belfast called Through The Barricades. Kemp tells the story himself. He's obviously a decent bloke with a good eye for a pop tune, clearly upset by both Reilly's death and a big wall in Belfast. He also tried to elevate the song, borrowing phrases from W.B. Yeats and T.S. Eliot. Y ou can decide for yourself if it works. I think Through the Barricades is a syrupy and formulaic ballad that could be set anywhere, but then I never heard a Spandau Ballet song I didn't hate. The song feels wedged in to the story here. Thomas Reilly's death wasn't syrupy, he was shot dead at 4pm after a minor altercation. The 18 year-old soldier who pulled the trigger served 26 months in jail before quietly returning to his regiment. Meanwhile Reilly's family were left to grapple with the grief and injustice. We see his parents being interviewed in archive footage, heartbroken that ( as they put it ) they have to visit the graveyard to see their son while his killer is re-integrated into regular life and effectively exonerated. The real star is the brother Jim Reilly, talking about his time in Stiff Little Fingers and recounting how his brother Thomas was a brilliant dancer. His band, Stiff Little Fingers, were famously non-sectarian. When asked how he feels towards Ian Thain, the man who shot his brother, Jim Reilly says he forgives him, without missing a beat. H e had been taught it's better to forgive than to let bitterness consume the rest of your life. There's a very good song to be written about the life and death of Thomas 'Kidso' Reilly. It isn't Through the Barricades. Read More
Irish Post
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Post
Northern Irish hotelier ‘honoured' to be on King's birthday honours list
THE managing director of a Northern Irish hotel group was awarded an MBE in the King's birthday honours list. James McGinn, who has worked with Hastings Hotels for 29 years, has been recognised for his 'services to tourism and hospitality'. Prior to being appointed managing director of the group in 2022, Mr McGinn led their Europa Hotel for two decades. The hotel is one of Belfast's most famous properties - where former US President Bill and his wife, the former US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, have stayed three times, most recently in 2023. The hotel also became a base for local and overseas journalists during the Troubles – hosting the like sof Trevor McDonald, Kate Adie, John Sergeant and Richard Ford as they reported on the conflict from the front line. Hastings Hotels MD James McGinn 'It's an honour to have received this recognition,' McGinn said this week, as King Charles' honours list was revealed. 'Tourism and hospitality are in my blood, and I'm thankful for the career I have built at Hastings Hotels for the last 29 years and for the opportunities provided to me by the Hastings family,' he added. 'I would also like to thank my colleagues across the group, because without them, this recognition wouldn't be possible.' Having graduated in 1988 from Queen's University Belfast, Mr McGinn moved to London for work before returning to Omagh in 1990 to work as Food and Beverage Manager in his family's business, the Woodlander. He graduated with an MSc in Hotel and International Tourism Management from the University of Ulster in 1994 and then moved to the US. He worked the Hilton Hotel in Washington DC before returning to Northern Ireland in 1996, where he started his career with Hastings Hotels at the Europa Hotel. Founded almost sixty years ago by Sir William Hastings, Hastings Hotels is Northern Ireland's largest independently owned luxury hotel group. As well as the Europa, the group's other properties include the Culloden Estate and Spa, the Grand Central Hotel and the Stormont Hotel in Belfast as well as Ballygally Castle in Antrim and The Everglades Hotel in Derry. See More: Birthday Honours, Hastings Hotels, James McGinn, King Charles
Belfast Telegraph
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Belfast Telegraph
‘It meant so much to my community': Say Nothing star Lola Petticrew reveals they have only watched hunger strike episode once
The actor, who uses they/them pronouns, and is currently campaigning for the Disney Plus and FX programme's Emmy nominations, revealed the episode was the one they were most 'anxious about.' 'What these young women went through — let's call it what it is: it was state-sponsored torture, and I feel like that was the episode we had to get really right in order to be respectful to these women's experiences,' they told Entertainment Weekly. "It was the episode I was particularly anxious about.' The episode, which comes around halfway through the series, depicts Dolours Price (Petticrew) alongside her sister Marian (Hazel Doupe) convicted of their involvement in the Old Bailey bombing. The pair are later seen going on hunger strike, during which they are force-fed by prison doctors and staff. "I felt like it was important to watch this particular project because of how much it meant to me and it meant to my community,' they added. "I wanted to see if we managed to do what we set out to do." The west Belfast actor also described the force-feeding scenes as the most difficult of their career. "I mean, I'm rubbing my chest because I can still sort of feel it there," they said while reflecting on the experience. "I'm quite a physical person, and I believe we all hold our emotions physically in our bodies, and it's very scary to relinquish control of that. "I knew that I wasn't being force-fed, but when you have a wooden bit in your mouth and people holding you down, it's hard to convince yourself that it's not reality." They also revealed the crew of Say Nothing implemented intimacy coordinators – professionals who work with actors and film production teams to ensure that intimate scenes are carried out safely, respectfully, and consensually – for the scenes, in order to choreograph them. "As awful as it was for me to have my body treated that way, it's also hard to treat somebody's body that way. I wanted to make sure that wasn't forgotten.' Petticrew, who was nominated for a BAFTA Television Award for Best Actress for their performance, alongside winning the Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actress in a Drama, is tipped to be nominated for Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie at next month's Emmy nominations. When asked about the programme's significance, they said they still have a visceral reaction to their performance and the series, which is based on Patrick Radden Keefe's non-fiction book Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland. "I still feel it so much in my body, and I find it hard not to just break down into tears sometimes when people approach me or when I'm talking about it," they said. They also hit back at any criticism for taking another role set during the Troubles — as they will next be seen alongside Gillian Anderson in Channel 4's Trespasses this autumn. "A lot of people heard that I was doing another Troubles story and were kind of surprised. I find that a bit shocking because whenever these guys play soldiers back-to-back, nobody bats an eyelid. It's a period of time [that has] a massive tapestry to pull from," they said.
