A festive Waterford story: Christmas in Curraghmore
Lord Waterford - Henry Nicholas de la Poer Beresford - the 9th Marquess of Waterford.
In his introduction to Julian Walton and Robert O’Byrne’s beautifully detailed guidebook to Curraghmore, the ninth Marquis of Waterford’s opening message resonated as I thought about the childhood Christmases I spent on the estate.
“From medieval knights to Georgian ladies, you will find every era left a mark on Curraghmore. But one thing that has remained consistent is the delight expressed by people who have come here…across the centuries, Curraghmore has attracted countless visitors, the long wings of the courtyard in front of the house looking like two arms extended in welcome.”
This vast, walled demesne, which flanks Portlaw on its easterly flank and Clonea Power on the other, has felt like home to my family since my Grandparents Jimmy Keyes (a shepherd) and Catherine (Kit) laid roots there 80 years ago.
This was where they raised my father Johnny and my aunts Noreen and Kathleen and where my siblings and cousins spent innumerable hours roaming what became our own Narnia. While in single digits, it was difficult to imagine a more idyllic place to spend Christmas than Curraghmore, poring through one of the books my Grandparents had gifted me in front of a blazing sitting room fire. In my mid-40s, it’s nigh on impossible to think of anywhere more magical. Curraghmore shall forever stand alone.
The warm, fuzzy feeling of those Christmas evenings spent in Ivy Cottage, being surrounded by the people in the world who mattered the most to me, grows more precious with every passing year.
The seemingly unending supply of turkey sandwiches, crisps, sweets and fizzy drinks – as if enough hadn’t been consumed both at home and at my O’Hara grandparents’ in Portlaw earlier that day – were joyously consumed.
A new board game or two was packed in the Curraghmore-bound car, undoubtedly triggering some competitive disagreement along the way. Colouring books and annuals, along with a size-appropriate toy we could squeeze into a car containing two adults and six children, were also packed.
Inside the closed gates of the estate, where only the sounds of wildlife tend to break the silence even now, Christmas through to New Year’s Day was a gift all in itself.
Literally only two bends of the road away, at the far end of the John Roberts-designed courtyard, Lord and Lady Waterford celebrated Christmas with their children and grandchildren.
Their Christmas Day, in essence, wasn’t too different from ours – but naturally, given that their ancestors have lived here since 1167 – the grander scale of their home made the nature of their December 25th celebration particularly distinctive.
“In the old days, we used to meet all of the estate’s staff to wish them and their families a happy Christmas,” Lord Waterford, the 9th Marquess of Waterford, told the .
“We were always very fortunate to have so many good men and women working here for us, be it in the house, the stables, the gardens or out on the farm, and Christmas time was always the time of year when my parents traditionally acknowledged the staff’s hard work.”
This was acknowledged each Christmas through an estate-sourced bonus, as Davy Keane, whose working life began in Curraghmore in 1960, aged 13, cheerily recalled.
“Ah yes, the Christmas meat – and it was very tasty,” he said. “Two heifers were slaughtered in the lead-up to Christmas and the meat used to be wrapped up in a nutbag or brown paper – let me tell you, there was no vacuum packing in those days! And we were all very glad of it. Sure they were genuinely great times to live through. Curraghmore was some place to put down a day’s work.”
“Lord Waterford (the 8th Marquess) used to call most people on the estate by their surname but he only ever referred to Daddy as Jimmy, which I thought was very nice,” said my Aunt Kathleen. “The ‘old family’ as you might describe them now looking back, were always very kind to us and I was always very fond of them. And the fact that they respected Daddy the way they did, I thought that was lovely.”
Tradition is part of the festive Curraghmore narrative, as Lord Waterford noted.
“We have a shoot here each Christmas, and when I was a boy, the number of shooting parties made the place quite busy so there was always a great deal of activity here. And then Christmas Day itself came about and things would get somewhat quieter alright. We’d have a traditional dinner – turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings one associates with the season – and we still do.
“My father was always quite happy when it was all over, I must admit, but it’s a time of year here that I’ve always enjoyed. We’ll have all the children and grandchildren here with us on Christmas Day and that’s always very enjoyable. It’s such a pleasure for my wife and I to be surrounded by them.”
When asked if there’s one Christmas present which stands out from his childhood, Lord Waterford replied: “Well, we always got lots of good presents each Christmas and we appreciated each of them but my first bicycle does stand out for me – that was a wonderful gift. Your first bike is always very special.”
Minutes later, as we say our goodbyes, Lord Waterford is off for a spin on his latest bicycle!
CP Redmond, who edited the in the early 1900s, colourfully described Curraghmore in his lengthily titled book, ‘Beauty Spots in the South East of Ireland and how to see them by Car and Cycle'. Writing about the ‘Great Morass’ (the literal meaning of Curraghmore), Mr Redmond waxed about the “lofty hills, rich vales, and sweet sequestered nooks of this delightful spot. The variety of scenery is unsurpassed by any demesne in the Kingdom, and well indeed may one exclaim on beholding and such repose – ."
To be among the small number of those still living who have experienced daily life, let alone Christmas in Curraghmore, is a privilege that grows more special with every passing year.
Of the many presents my grandparents lovingly gave to their grateful grandchildren, none has endured like their love of Curraghmore: the gift that truly keeps on giving.
