Arthur Guinness, 1st Baron Ardilaun facts for kids
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Arthur Edward Guinness, 1st Baron Ardilaun (born November 1, 1840 – died January 20, 1915), was an Irish businessman, politician, and a generous helper of good causes. He is most famous for giving St Stephen's Green, a beautiful park in Dublin, to the city for everyone to enjoy.
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Early Life and Family
Arthur Guinness was born at St Anne's, a place near Dublin. He was the oldest son of Sir Benjamin Guinness, 1st Baronet, who was very wealthy from the Guinness brewery. Arthur was also the older brother of Edward Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh. His great-grandfather was the famous Arthur Guinness, who started the brewery.
Arthur went to school at Eton College and then studied at Trinity College Dublin. In 1868, he took over his father's title as the second Baronet.
Life in Politics
In 1868, Arthur Guinness was chosen as a Conservative MP for Dublin City. He held this position for about a year. Later, he was re-elected in 1874.
He believed in a type of politics called "constructive unionism." This meant he thought Ireland and Britain should work together more closely, and that this would help the people of Ireland. In 1872, he helped organize the "Irish Exhibition" in Dublin. This event was set up to help Irish businesses and trade.
In 1876, Arthur sold his share of the Guinness company to his brother Edward for a large sum of money. In 1880, he was given the special title of Baron Ardilaun. This title came from Ashford Castle in County Galway, which was his home. The name "Ardilaun" comes from an Irish phrase meaning 'high island' on Lough Corrib.
A Major Landowner
Arthur Guinness and his father bought many large areas of land in County Galway and County Mayo. By the time Arthur became Lord Ardilaun, he owned a huge amount of land, about 33,000 acres. This made him one of the biggest landowners in the area.
During the 1880s, there was a time called the Land War in Ireland. Farmers were unhappy with landlords, especially those who didn't live on their land and didn't care for their tenants. Lord Ardilaun was different because he lived at Ashford Castle for much of the year and spent a lot of money improving his lands. However, he still faced challenges during this time, including some unfortunate violent events.
He also worked to protect beautiful natural areas, like the landscape around Muckross in Killarney. He was also a joint owner of the Aran Islands for a time.
Helping Others (Philanthropy)
Like many in the Guinness family, Lord Ardilaun was very generous. He supported many public causes. For example, he helped restore Marsh's Library in Dublin and expand the Coombe Women's Hospital.
In 1899, he bought and protected the land around Muckross House in Killarney. This helped save the beautiful lakes and mountains there, which is now a very popular place for tourists. From 1875, he also supported a company that built affordable homes for poor people in Dublin.
His most famous act of generosity was buying, improving, and giving St Stephen's Green to the city of Dublin. He worked to pass a special law to make it a public park. After the park was beautifully landscaped, it was officially opened to everyone on July 27, 1880. You can still see his statue there today, across from the Royal College of Surgeons.
Lord Ardilaun was also the President of the Royal Dublin Society for many years, from 1892 to 1913.
Personal Life
In 1871, Lord Ardilaun married Lady Olivia Hedges-White. Their marriage was a happy one, but they did not have any children.
He passed away on January 20, 1915, at his home in Raheny. He was buried at All Saints Church, Raheny, a church he had helped build. Many important people and groups attended his funeral, showing how much he was respected.
After his death, his title of Baron ended because he had no children. However, his other title, the Baronetcy, passed to his nephew. Much of his large estate, Saint Anne's Park, later became one of Dublin's most important public parks. In 2019, the park received a special award and was named one of the world's top urban public parks, showing the lasting impact of his tree plantings and care for the land.
See Also
- Guinness family
Images for kids
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Lord Ardilaun (statue in St Stephen's Green)
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Ashford Castle
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Arms of Lord Ardilaun
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"A practical patriot". Caricature by Spy published in Vanity Fair in 1880.
