Borris House , It sounds very right to say that Borris House has a commanding view – built as it was (and is still lived in) by descendants of the ancient Kings of Leinster. Look south to see the majesty of the Blackstairs Mountains which divide Wexford from Carlow, and look slightly west to see the tree-lined Barrow valley which directs the river towards Graiguenamanagh and onwards to New Ross, and thence to the sea at The Hook. The Kavanagh house sits quietly overlooking its pastures - but it’s only in the recent past that peace overcame the many troubled times that were visited upon its location. Irish kings never sat easy on their provincial thrones, and, even after the end of the regal line, Borris House was attacked and damaged through the centuries, in 1798 and then in the Civil War. A new sense of heritage in Ireland, and the careful and knowledgeable stewardship of the present Kavanagh family, is seeing a restoration programme bringing back the glory of the Irish craftsman – the plasterers, the carpenters, the stonemasons and the many local Borris people who lent their skills to building the house we see today. Like many of these large estate houses, Borris is really not haunted by ghosts but it does carry the memory of some extraordinary people. Think of the armless, legless Arthur Kavanagh who never gave thought to his disability but rode a horse to the Holy Land (his saddle is still in the tack-room), who travelled to the remotest parts of Mesopotamia, who became a politician and Privy Councillor in the English Parliament. And think of him arriving on a visit to Lady de Vesci at Abbey Leix – ‘It’s extraordinary’ he remarked to his hostess on arrival ‘I haven’t been here for 5 years but the station-master recognised me!’ It’s well said of Arthur Kavanagh that ‘he was every man’s equal but equal to no man.’ If they lived a different kind of life in past generations, today’s minders of Borris are a fully committed part of their community, and bringing the sound of music, great music, to this now peaceful place is a treat for us all to enjoy. It seems right that Borris is, for this weekend, transformed into La Scala, Covent Garden or Sydney Opera House so we can all enjoy a Command Performance. Sure, where else would you be going? |