Dunboyne's munificence
Sir: I venture to correct Mark Pinkerton (Letters, 16 February) about John, the Catholic Bishop of Cork who became 22nd Lord Dunboyne in 1786. John was then no more than 56 (the reasons for such an assertion are set out in my Preface to Con Costello's book In Quest of an Heir) and he was nowhere near to being the last male in the direct line. Poor John! He made a ludicrous miscalculation which left him vulnerable to the quip that he was more heir-minded than heir-conditioned! But he should be remembered, not so much for his transient and unrewarding apostasy, as for his positive contribution to Catholic educa- tion within Ireland. With prescience and munificence, he endowed Maynooth, and to this day certain members of that great college are called Dunboyners', because of him.
Dunboyne
36 Ormonde Gate, London SW3
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