A number of years ago, I had the great pleasure of making the acquaintance of noted Irish historian, author, speaker and television presenter James Alexander Hugh “Turtle” Bunbury through my research of my McClintock family.  It’s possible that Turtle and I are cousins, since Turtle’s McClintock ancestors and my McClintock ancestors have similar roots in County Donegal, Ireland.  The ancestral trail of the McClintocks leads us back to the origins of the family in Scotland.

At Christmas time in 2019, I wrote a post about the Tredegar House that was once owned by my ancestral Morgan family that is now part of the National Trust of the UK.  The National Trust oversees the yearly traditions and activities that are scheduled at the house for all visitors to participate in and  Christmas is no exception.

With that thought in mind, I was curious about Christmas time at the ancestral home of the McClintock family in County Carlow, at the Lisnavagh House, home of the Baron Rathdonnell.

Turtle’s father, Thomas McClintock-Bunbury is the 5^th Baron Rothdonnell, and Turtle’s older brother, William Leopold McClintock-Bunbury is the heir apparent. William and his wife Emily run the Lisvanagh House.  The Lisnavagh House is located at Rathvilly, County Carlow, Ireland.

Here is Lisnavagh House as it stands today:

Courtesy of Wikipedia

At this point, I’ll let Turtle describe his Christmas memories and experiences at Lisnavagh House.

“During my childhood, my mother would host between 20 and 30 people around the oak table in the dining room for Christmas dinner, nearly all of them her family rather than my father… It was a typical old-fashioned Christmas with shooting socks from Santa at the end of our bed in the morning, a cold Christmas day service in one of the nearby churches with uplifting carols, presents under the Christmas tree in Lisnavagh library, the Christmas Day walk and then, in the evening, the afore-mentioned dinner, plus charades and miniature plays by the children.”

For those of you that don’t know what “shooting socks” are…they are hunting socks. There are so many different styles and colors and a number of makers of these socks. Here are some examples from J.C. Cordings & Co., est. 1839:

Courtesy of J.C. Cordings & Co.

The tradition of shooting socks at Christmas seems to transcend different cultures across the UK, and the tradition also seems to vary according to location and family. This makes perfect sense to me, since Christmas traditions have always varied across the globe.

Now, on a more royal level involving shooting socks at Christmas, according to a book called “The Mountbattans, The Lives and Loves of Dickie and Edwina Mountbatten” by Andrew Lownie, 2021 – Chapter 27, Ireland:

The Windsor family also has had the tradition of using shooting socks at Christmas…from the book called “Royal Service: My Twelve Years as Valet to Prince Charles” by Stephen P. Barry, 1983, pg. 72:

…”These are just little things , which are put into old shooting socks and slipped into the bedrooms . ” I’ll do the Queen’s stocking , ” the Prince would always say“…

I love discovering old Christmas traditions from around the world and this one tradition involving shooting socks at the holidays caught my attention. I can’t help sharing historical and traditional practices with others, especially ones that involve the holidays.

Turning our attention back to the Bunbury family, here is another memory that Turtle shared with me from his childhood, originally published in the Carlow Nationalist, 3 Dec 2019, entitled:

The Making of a Pacifist – A Christmas Story

“What makes us who we are? As a historian, I sometimes think back to those packages that arrived from Godmother Mary every Christmas without fail.

The first included three strips of metal, a casting ladle, a tub of talcum powder and a black mould that smelled like a rubber tyre.

The process was simple. Snip some metal into the ladle and frazzle it upon something hot until it melts into a mercurial blob. Pour blob into a talced-up mould, count to 300, open mould et voilà … one silvery warrior in the palm of your hand.

Many years later, I learned that these metal creations were soldiers and officers from the Seven Years War.

The first to muster were a Prussian musketeer and a Danish grenadier.

The next year, I received a Russian guardsman and a Scottish drummer boy.

And then came mounted cavalry, standard bearers, artillery men, fusiliers, cuirassiers and infantry galore.

Some were French, others English, still more were Austrian and Hanoverian.

And yet, coolest of all, they were all Irish. Or at least the company that made them was based in Macroom, County Cork, where it continues to this day.

‘Prince August’, the company name, was – and is – emblazoned on every metal bar.

I never had enough of this metal, a composite of tin, bismuth and lead. The lead caught my eye though. A chunk of my family home was dismantled in the 1950s, leaving a shed full of lead gutters from the old roof.

I set to work, snipping small slices of abandoned gutter into my casting ladle and duly created one of the most misshapen armies the world has known.

Every soldier was limbless or half-headed or too drunk to stand up straight. Their rifles snapped, their swords bent, their trumpets shriveled.

Their horses were likewise rarely born with legs or rump.

In my boyhood, all of my warriors came to life the moment I coloured in their uniforms and weaponry with acrylic paints and a synthetic brush.

A few dabs of red paint on my luckless gutter-folk made both man and horse look as credible as the poor wounded souls who littered any battlefield after a war in those grim old days.

My armies fought so many battles that I was both a committed pacifist and a committed historian by the age of 15. Thank you, Godmother Mary.”

Here is Turtle from the newspaper article:

The Carlow Nationalist, 3 Dec. 2019

I can only imagine what Christmas at Lisnavagh House must have been like for Turtle and his family, but of course, we all have our own family traditions and memories at Christmas and each and every one of those are remembered and cherished. For Turtle and his family, I’m sure it was always just another Christmas at home.

Through the stewardship and generosity of the Bunbury family, Lisvanagh House continues to provide Christmas memories, not only for the Bunbury family, but for all who visit, which includes experiences they would not receive anywhere else!

Lisnavagh House offers up accommodations and events throughout the year and Christmas is one of its highlights. One Christmas event is the Christmas Market at Lisnavagh.  This year, held on Dec. 2 & 3, the market provides unique sustainable and healthy items that make dynamic, inventive and seasonal gifts.

Courtesy of Lisnavagh House

Aside from the Christmas Market is the Lisnavagh Café, which offers delicious homemade treats, hot food and drinks.

Courtesy of Lisnavagh House

Another Lisvanagh House event is the Christmas Fair.

This year, it was held on Dec. 7 & 8:

There are even historical talks held in the Lisnavagh Library by William Bunbury during the fair.

Local suppliers and artisans are involved with the fair, that includes a craft workshop for children with a visit from the “Jolly Old Elf” himself.

Here are other views from inside and outside the house:

Courtesy of Lisnavagh House

One more item that Turtle shared with me. A Christmas card from 1950:

There are many things to do and experience at Lisnavagh House, especially at Christmas. There are unique retreats, accommodations for weddings and guests, unique and healthy foods and an experience you won’t soon forget.

The McClintock-Bunbury family Christmas traditions and memories will always be a part of Lisnavagh House, and through their love for their ancestral home and their generosity, they share those traditions and memories with those that wish to become a part of it.

For my readers, I wanted to give you the gift of a place that may not be well known to you, but is a hidden gem at Christmas that is unique and historic.

On behalf of myself, my wife Cheryl, my family and the McClintock-Bunbury families, have yourselves a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Sources:

Turtle Bunbury – Turtle Bunbury Irish Histories

Here is a detailed architectural history of Lisnavagh House written by Turtle Bunbury for the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage – Lisnavagh House, Carlow

Here is the main website for events at Lisvanagh House

Lisnavagh photos courtesy of the McClintock-Bunbury family and the Lisnavagh House – thank you!

Wikipedia

The Carlow Nationalist

J.C. Cordings & Co.

“The Mountbattans, The Lives and Loves of Dickie and Edwina Mountbatten” by Andrew Lownie, 2021

“Royal Service: My Twelve Years as Valet to Prince Charles” by Stephen P. Barry, 1983

Acknowledgements and Special Thanks:

Turtle Bunbury, thank you for your warmth and generosity. You have truly given me a gift that is greater than any material item…friendship! Thank you for sharing your memories! Merry Christmas to you and Ally, and to William and Emily and to the entire Bunbury family!

Cheryl, my wife…you are the greatest gift I have ever received. Your love and support is what I cherish the most!

Merry Christmas!

Brian