The life of Francis Spaight (1790-1861), by Arlene White

Описание: This lecture was recorded in the Teach Ceoil in Kilrush at 8pm on Tuesday 24 February 2026.

Arlene White spoke about the life of Francis Spaight (1790-1861). Francis Spaight lost his father just before his 11th birthday and was only 20 years of age when the Clare Journal reported on 24 Sep 1810 that "Messrs. Paterson and Spaight of the port of Kilrush are appointed agents for supplying his Majesty's ships and vessels in the Shannon with rum." By 1812, he had become James Paterson's son-in-law. Paterson remained in Kilrush until his death in 1846 and left his mark on the town. Spaight appears to have gone out on his own and moved his business to Limerick in 1815. He went on to have a remarkable career as timber merchant, transatlantic shipping operator, magistrate and land-owner. In 1844, he purchased the Derry Castle estate on the Tipperary shore of Lough Derg, just north of Ballina/Killaloe, and died there in 1861.

Arlene is a Community Employment Supervisor at Clare Walks Ltd. and in her spare time chairs Killaloe Ballina Local History Society, Féile Brian Boru, and Tourism East Clare. She has long been fascinated by Derry Castle and the Spaight family and was a contributor to RTÉ's 2022 Documentary On One, The Custom of the Sea, about the gruesome fate of one of the transatlantic journeys organised by Spaight.

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