'Some man for one man'... Slane bids farewell to Lord Henry Mount Charles

Lord Henry Mount Charles was "some man for one man" his funeral service in St Patrick's Church Slane was told today.

The funeral of Lord Henry, the 8th Marquess Conyngham, was presided over by Canon John Clarke with Rev Pat Ryan, Minister Navan Union of Parishes and Slane PP Fr Richard Matthews.

His daughter Tamara told the congregation he "fought for so long to stay at the party, that all we can do now is party on his memory."

His remains were piped into the Church by Eamon Walsh from Mayo and "The Parting Glass" was sung during the service by David Keenan.

Among those in attendance were Cmdt Joe Glennon representing the Taoiseach and Tanaiste, former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Minister Helen McEntee, Denis Desmond of MCD, Cllr Wayne Harding cathaoirleach, and Kieran Keogh, Chief Executive Meath County Council.

Tributes were paid by his son, Alex, the 9th Marquis Conyngham, his daughter Tamara and his lifelong friend, Nick Koumarianos. The readings were by U2 bassist, Adam Clayton, Lord Mount Charles' brother, Lord Simon Conyngham, his daughter, Henrietta Countess of Litchfield and son, Wolfe Conyngham.

His son, Alex told the congregation his Dad had grown up in "an upstairs downstairs kind of world."

"But Dad, along with his brothers, Simon and Patrick, were more interested in the downstairs, spending time with the cast of characters who ran the house and estate, most notably Mary Browne, who largely raised him."

"That thread has continued for Dad and he was immensely lucky to have had a colourful group of people work alongside him on the estate for which he was extremely grateful, as they rolled through the good times and the occasional dark days."

"There were many such individuals but I'd like to mention Emer Mooney, who worked on the estate for just shy of 50 years, the many generations of Doggetts and Dermot Shevlin to name but a few."

Alex Mount Charles said his father initially had struggled with his Anglo Irish identity and described it "as feeling like he had a leg either side of the Irish sea, with each side treating him as an outsider."

"It was when he went to Harvard and immersed himself in the study of Irish History that the fog of uncertainty lifted and he came to realise that Ireland was a country fed by many streams and he as an Anglo Irish aristocrat belonged to one of those streams and if he applied himself, he could make his contribution towards it."

"Politically, he was a passionate, constitutional republican and he truly loved this country, its culture and people. He counted himself blessed to be an Irishman."

"He said the first concert in 1981 was a trail blazing moment for all of them. In the midst of palpable political tension, the show was driven by a conviction that music is a universal language that brings people together."

"That day, the Slane Castle estate was also saved because things were on a financial knife edge and thankfully, the legacy of the concerts has continued to protect and sustain it ever since."

"None of the gigs would have happened without the support of the people of Slane and I know that Dad quite rightfully would want me to thank them fondly for all they did for him, the state and the concerts over the years."

"The last decade of his life was at times pretty tough due to his illness but his determination never left him. I recall on one occasion him greeting guests at the castle after yet another stint in hospital and when asking how he was doing he said 'well I'm doing more drugs now than I did in the 60s'."

Henry Mount Charles’ youngest daughter Tamara gave a tribute called “Lessons from my Dad”.

“Dad was one of the most determined people I know and he proved what can be achieved when you truly put your mind to it.”

“He fought for so long because he didn’t want to leave the party, and all we can do now is party on in his memory."

His friend Nick Koumarianos said he knew Mount Charles as “one hell of a cool dude”.

“He was tall, he was handsome, he was titled and by the way, he knew it.”

"The Henry I knew was also a glutton for punishment. He never seemed to be defeated, adversity seemed to refresh the man from dealing with clashing egos at the concerts, the fire in the castle, the reconstruction of the castle, onto the success of Slane whiskey. Henry always relished a challenge."

"He put Ireland on the map for generations of pop music fans around the world."

“He had real commercial skills, although on one occasion I do remember him saying: ‘always do your accounts in pencil – and don’t press too hard’.”

"He was a mighty man who bore his illness with remarkable courage”.

"It is hard to believe he is gone."

"Farewell old pal. You'll be sadly missed, you were some man for one man."

Following the service Lord Mount Charles was laid to rest in the adjoining graveyard and his remains were carried from the Church to the strains of U2's 'Bad'.