Irish History is a history of missunderstandings and much bad luck. In winter 1796 a fleet of French ships sailed towards the irish coasts. On board was apart from the French sailors and soldiers under command of General Hoche as well Theobald Wolfe Tone, Leader of the United Irishmen. They tried to to debark on the irish southwestern coastline in order to end the english suzerainty on Ireland.
The Irish Sea is not very suitable to be sailed on in December, especially when tempests are running up from the Bay of Biscay. Roughly: the French Armada was not very lucky in those days. Two thirds of the ship were blown far away on the Atlantic Ocean, the remaining third reached Bantry Bay but could not debark.
Two more attempts in 1798 were in vain. Wolfe Tone was captured by the English gentry and committed suicide by help of his pocket-knife before he could be hanged.
This typical irish story can be retraced in the Armada Centre at Bantry House. In 1981, the ship wreck of the „Surveillance“ was discovered in the Bantry Bay, some artefacts have been salvaged and are now shown in the exhibition on place.
The english-italic inspired architecture of Bantry House is typical for the late 18th century. Since those days it is in possession of the family of the former Earls of Bantry, who had good connections either to the french-irish schedulers of the invasion troops and to the English gentry. Their prosperity could be dued to their good connactions to both sides of the game.
I visited Bantry House some years ago, we were five to travel around in Ireland. At that day the boys wanted to do a 55,7 miles-walk, my friend Sabine and me preferred to do a “girls day” with only a walking-around in that stately home.
For this morbid charm we payed 8.50 Euros, for half-broken antique furniture, for half-faded silk-curtains that felt more like a rummage on a garret.
Nevertheless it was a very nice afternoon, a souvenir-shop invites the visitors to do some shopping of “typical irish” goods.