Pierce O’Mahony was one of the most distinguished Irish men of his time. A nationalist MP, international humanitarian, chieftain, farmer and gardener, his incredible life story will be told by historian Tom Dillon.
Tom, who served as Kerry County Council historian-in-residence in 2020 and 2021, has researched Pierce and the visitor books he kept at his homes Kerry and Wicklow. From Charles Steward Parnell and William Butler Yeats to Sir Arthur Vicars, Maud Gonne, Percy French and John Redmond, he welcomed many famous names to his homes at Kilmorna House in Kerry and from 1899 his residences in Wicklow at Grangecon, Mucklagh and Coolballintaggert.
The signatures they left on visits to his home paint a fascinating history including the tragic experience of the killing of his half-brother, Sir Arthur Vicars (the keeper of the Irish Crown Jewels when they were stolen in 1907 – the theft remains one of Ireland’s most famous unsolved crimes) and the burning of the family home Kilmorna House in Kerry by the IRA in April 1921.
Introducing the talk will be Tralee historian Maurice O’Keeffe of the Irish Life and Lore.
The talk will take place in Ballynure Church – W91 YW74, Grangecon, Co. Wicklow, on Thursday October 5th, 2023, at 7:30pm.