Radio interviews
Valerie Cox visited Lough Rynn in January 2007 and recorded interviews with Fiona Slevin (author of this site), Teresa Bohan and Sonny Creamer (both of whom worked on the Estate) and with Alan Hanly (current owner of Lough Rynn). Click here to see photos of the day >>>
The interviews were broadcast on the Pat Kenny Show on RTE Radio 1 on 8 January 2007.
Click here to listen
(Please note, this file is large and may take some time to download.)
Reviews of "By Hereditary Virtues: a History of Lough Rynn"
"A marvellous read providing a wonderful insight into landlordism in 19th century Ireland. A beautifully-presented, well-researched scholarly work.” Brendan Kennelly
"This is a book which is marked by lucidity, elegant prose, judiciousness and unsentimentality as well as sharp psychological and social observation. We need this kind of intelligent, analytical and on occasion sceptical history that the author has given us both to understand that we can't re-experience the past, and to understand and preserve, for instance, what real and concrete heritage we have. This is the classic local history, a scholarly mosaic of political, social and cultural life which has a focus in a part of North West Ireland during the zenith years of landlordism. The author is to be commended highly for producing this rigorous and thoroughly researched study; no one has waded through more collections of papers and records than Fiona Slevin. It is a must for all lovers of local history."
Professor Michael L. O'Rourke, School of Education, Trinity College Dublin
"By Hereditary Virtues" is a most welcome book that deals with the most famous "Big House" in Leitrim and also with its most famous, or infamous, character, William Sydney Clements, Lord Leitrim himself. The book gives a very readable account of the family who displaced the old native chieftains, the MacRanalls. The Clements had their "virtues" but the lasting memory is their "vices" and all is revealed in this excellent book.
Seán Ó Suilleabháin, Leabharlann Chontae Liatroma