John Anthony (Jack) Brabazon, 15th Earl of Meath (b.1941), Part 1

This recording was compiled in the Library Study at Kilruddery House where all the family papers are held. The history of the Brabazon family is discussed while these documents are perused. Jack Brabazon speaks initially about the gardens at Kilruddery which had remained unchanged in design since the time of the 4th Earl ,and were then embellished by the 6th Earl. The house itself was extensively renovated by Jack’s father, Anthony Windham Brabazon, and he feels that his father saved Kilruddery by utilising his engineering skills over the eleven years of renovation. The family moved to Templecarrig in Greystones while these renovations were being undertaken, and returned to Kilruddery House in 1961. Jack’s grandparents, Reginald LeNormand Brabazon, 13th Earl of Meath, and his wife, Aileen Wyndham-Quin, are recalled. Reginald Brabazon commanded the Irish Guards during WWI and on 15th September 1914 he was wounded and invalided out. Following his convalescence, he returned to the Front and was gassed in 1918 while commanding the 4th Guards Brigade. After the war, he and his wife worked tirelessly to house destitute war veterans in Ireland, and were involved in the establishment of The Soldiers Sailors and Airmen Trust, now known as the SSAFA charity. Jack’s father, Anthony Brabazon, joined the Grenadier Guards in 1930 and led his men with distinction during the years of WWII. He was wounded at Monte Camino in December 1943 and he arrived back in Ireland in 1946. He inherited the title in 1949. He was faced with the responsibility of running the large estates which resulted in difficult decisions having to be made with regard to the large workforce. Anthony Brabazon died in 1996. A painting of two Brabazon brothers, dating from 1710, which hangs in Kilruddery House is discussed, and Jack relates a most interesting family story relating to Tara Hill.