Sophia Hillan

May, Lou and Cass were Marianne, Louisa and Cassandra Knight, three sisters who were nieces of Jane Austen and knew her growing up, little did anyone realise that all three sisters would end up buried in Gweedore, having lived, in some instances, the majority of their lives there courtesy of Lord George Hill, his marriage to two of the sisters and the hotel he built.

There they would take up the cause of Irish, sell socks that the locals made to soldiers in Crimea, among other places and basically become more Irish than the Irish themselves.

Interesting read, I never really knew about them and I think it's an interesting look at the relationship between Ireland and England and the landed gentry and peasant farmers. It was also interesting to read it in the light of the current commemorations of 1916 and the issue we need to address about the exclusion of some people who were Irish in the meanings of Irish.… (mehr)