Hat trick - Royal visitors in the Picture Gallery, Kilkenny Castle

A royal group in Kilkenny Castle, that beautiful castle in, arguably, Ireland's most beautiful city - but can we name this lot? And indeed it seems we can. With thanks in particular to some our regular stalwart contributors (and newer blood), we have confirmation that this does capture a royal visit to the Marble City. The man-who-would-be-king (the Duke of York) and family visited the Butler/Ormonde family at their home in Kilkenny Castle in April 1899. While perhaps already on the road to confirmation, DannyM8 helped confirm the sometimes elusive trifecta of who, where, and when. An extract from the Irish Times summarises this "at home" gathering in the castle's noted picture gallery, and lists those present as the: - Duke & Duchess of York (later George V & Queen Mary) - Marquess & Lady Ormonde (James Butler & Elizabeth Grosvenor) - Two other Ormondes (likely the Marquess' daughter & brother) - Marshal & Lady Roberts (Frederick Roberts & Nora Bews) - Viscount & Viscountess De Vesci (John Vesey & Evelyn Charteris) - Lady Eva Dugdale (later Lady of the Bedchamber) - Earl of Ava (Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood d.1900) - Sir Charles Leopold Cust (baronet) - Sir Francis De Winton - Mr J. T Seigne JP (officer of Ormonde's estate?) - and "Mr Moncrieffe" We even see forebears of both the visitors and the hosts in the portraits to the rear... Photographer: A. H. Poole Studio Photographer Collection: Poole Photographic Collection Date: Thursday, 20 April 1899 NLI Ref: POOLEIMP 673 You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at catalogue.nli.ie