Desmond FitzGerald, 29th Knight of Glin
Encyclopedia
Desmond John Villiers FitzGerald, 29th Knight of Glin (13 July 1937 – 14 September 2011), was an Irish hereditary knight and president of the Irish Georgian Society
.
(1901-1949), and Veronica Villiers (daughter of Ernest Villiers MP
), FitzGerald was born in County Limerick and was educated at the University of British Columbia
and Harvard University
. He worked at the Victoria and Albert Museum
in London, in the furniture department. He later returned to Ireland, and became active in conservation issues, becoming involved with the Irish Georgian Society. He was appointed its president in 1991. He has also represented the Christies art auctioneers in Ireland. He died in Dublin in 2011.
for a brief period. In 1970 he married his second wife, Olda Willes, the daughter of Major Thomas and Georgina Willes. His three daughters are: Catherine, who married Dominic West
in 2010, and was previously married to Ned Durham; Nesta and Honor.
, is held by his distant cousins.
(which he inherited as a child), and his Dublin townhouse
.
He devoted his life to restoring the belongings of the castle, which had been sold due to previous financial difficulties, and rebuilding and finishing the remaining parts of the estate including the Georgian house that had remained incomplete for centuries.
(Ireland)
Irish Georgian Society
The Irish Georgian Society aims to encourage an interest in and to promote the conservation of distinguished examples of architecture and the allied arts of all periods in Ireland...
.
Career
The son of Desmond FitzGerald, 28th Knight of GlinDesmond Wyndham Otho FitzGerald
Desmond Wyndham Otho FitzGerald, 28th Knight of Glin was an Irish nobleman and socialite....
(1901-1949), and Veronica Villiers (daughter of Ernest Villiers MP
Ernest Villiers
Ernest Amherst Villiers , was a British clergyman and Liberal politician.Villiers was the son of Reverend Charles Villiers of Croft, Yorkshire, and his wife Florence Mary . His great-grandfather, the Hon...
), FitzGerald was born in County Limerick and was educated at the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He worked at the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
in London, in the furniture department. He later returned to Ireland, and became active in conservation issues, becoming involved with the Irish Georgian Society. He was appointed its president in 1991. He has also represented the Christies art auctioneers in Ireland. He died in Dublin in 2011.
Family
He was originally married to Loulou de la FalaiseLoulou de la Falaise
Loulou de La Falaise was a fashion muse and designer of fashion, accessories, and jewelry associated with Yves Saint-Laurent. Author Judith Thurman, writing in The New Yorker magazine, called La Falaise "the quintessential Rive Gauche haute bohémienne"....
for a brief period. In 1970 he married his second wife, Olda Willes, the daughter of Major Thomas and Georgina Willes. His three daughters are: Catherine, who married Dominic West
Dominic West
Dominic Gerard Fe West is an English actor best known for his role as Detective Jimmy McNulty in the HBO drama series The Wire.-Film and TV:...
in 2010, and was previously married to Ned Durham; Nesta and Honor.
Title
FitzGerald was the last Black Knight; as he had no sons and the title cannot be passed to a daughter, the title was extinguished with his death. A similar title, the Knight of KerryKnight of Kerry
Knight of Kerry, also called the Green Knight, is one of three Anglo-Irish hereditary knighthoods, all of which existed in Ireland since feudal times. The others are the White Knight and the Knight of Glin...
, is held by his distant cousins.
Glin Castle
FitzGerald divided his time between Glin Castle, Glin, County LimerickCounty Limerick
It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
(which he inherited as a child), and his Dublin townhouse
Townhouse
A townhouse is the term historically used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in many other countries to describe a residence of a peer or member of the aristocracy in the capital or major city. Most such figures owned one or more country houses in which they lived for much of the year...
.
He devoted his life to restoring the belongings of the castle, which had been sold due to previous financial difficulties, and rebuilding and finishing the remaining parts of the estate including the Georgian house that had remained incomplete for centuries.
External links
- http://www.amazon.ca/Irish-Furniture-Knight-Glin/dp/0300117159
- http://www.amazon.ca/Irelands-Painters-1600-1940-Anne-*Crookshank/dp/0300097654/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212840715&sr=1-1
- http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-136510807.html
- http://www.bokkilden.no/SamboWeb/sok.do?enkeltsok=James+Peill&rom=MP
(Ireland)