In part two of the interview, Peter Smithwick continued to talk about his extended family, including one of his uncles, who was one of the first people to read the diaries of Sir Roger Casement. Peter’s position as President of the Knights of Malta here in Ireland is discussed, as is the history of the Knights, the rules and regulations, its different ranks and its role in present-day society. We finished with a nostalgic look back at Kilreen House, built in 1660, his ancestors who lived there and the memories captured within the four walls.
Deirdre Smithwick grew up in Markree Castle, in Co Sligo. She was sent to boarding school in England at a very early age. She grew up with a love of ponies, and to this day is involved in the breeding of horses. This recording gives an insight into the formalities of a lifestyle which included the strict behaviour of her parents, a formal dress code, pampering by servants and butlers and an insistence on proper manners.
Keywords: Smithwick, family history, black diaries, Roger Casement, Knights of Malta, ancestral home, Kilreen House, Markee Castle, Sligo, horse breeding,
