John Armar Lowry-Corry, 8th Earl Belmore (born 4 September 1951), is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

peer and the son of

Galbraith Lowry-Corry, 7th Earl Belmore Galbraith Armar Lowry-Corry, 7th Earl Belmore (14 April 1913 – 20 July 1960) was an Irish peer and the son of Major Adrian Lowry-Corry, himself the son of Admiral the Hon. Armar Lowry-Corry (the second son of Armar Lowry-Corry, 3rd Earl Belmore) ...

Early years and education

Lord Belmore, who was born into a famous Anglo-Irish

aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word' ...

family, was educated first at

Portora Royal School Portora Royal School located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, was one of the public schools founded by the royal charter in 1608, by James I, making it one of the oldest schools in Ireland at the time of its closure. Origina ...

Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from ga, Inis Ceithleann , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,823 a ...

County Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 ...

, at the school's preparatory department, and then at his father's alma mater

Lancing College Lancing College is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in southern England, UK. The school is located in West Sussex, east of Worthing near the village of Lancing, on the south coast of England. ...

, followed by two years at the

Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester ;(from Virgil's Georgics)"Caring for the Fieldsand the Beasts" , established = 2013 - University status – College , type = public university, Public , president = Charles III, King Charles , vice_chancellor = P ...

. He had succeeded his father in the

earldom Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant " chieftain", particula ...

at the age of 9, and, following his education, he returned home to the family seat at

Castle Coole Castle Coole (from ga, CúlLogainm
– Castle Coole – scanned record 2) is a

to help manage the house and estate, which had been transferred to the care of the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

in 1951.

Castle Coole

Lord Belmore developed a good relationship with the trust and has spent the past two decades adding to the collection of art at Castle Coole. He commissioned Enniskillen-born artist T.P. Flanagan to produce a series of watercolours and oils of the house. His most important acquisition was a painting of the 'heavenly twins'

Castor and Pollux Castor; grc, Κάστωρ, Kástōr, beaver. and Pollux. (or Polydeukes). are twin half-brothers in Greek and Roman mythology, known together as the Dioscuri.; grc, Διόσκουροι, Dióskouroi, sons of Zeus, links=no, from ''Dîos'' ('Z ...

by Giovanni Battista Cipriani. Dated 1783, it was one of three paintings commissioned for

Houghton Hall Houghton Hall ( ) is a country house in the parish of Houghton in Norfolk, England. It is the residence of David Cholmondeley, 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley. It was commissioned by the ''de facto'' first British Prime Minister, Sir Robert Wa ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

and was purchased by Lord Belmore in 1990. The painting is so large that it had to be brought into the house through the Breakfast Room window and without its frame. Another important purchase was 'The Leslie Conversation Piece' by J.H. Mortimer, which had previously been at

Castle Leslie Castle Leslie, also known as Glaslough House is home to an Irish branch of Clan Leslie, is located on the 4 km² (1,000-acre) Castle Leslie Estate adjacent to the village of Glaslough, northeast of Monaghan town in County Monaghan, Irel ...

Glaslough Glaslough ( ; ) is a village and townland in the north of County Monaghan, Ireland, on the R185 regional road south of the border with Northern Ireland and northeast of Monaghan town. Glaslough won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition in 1978 a ...

, a village in the north-east corner of

County Monaghan County Monaghan ( ; ga, Contae Mhuineacháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County C ...

. Painted by Mortimer in 1770, the picture portrays some of the most colourful and prosperous landowners of the day, including Lord Mornington, who was ennobled by the King for his music making and is seen in the picture entertaining the company at the piano. The painting now hangs in the State Bedroom which the 2nd Earl had decorated in a lavish style for a planned visit by

King George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten ye ...

, who never came, preferring to dally with his mistress Lady Conyngham at

Slane Castle Slane Castle (Irish ''Cáisleán Bhaile Shláine'') is located in the village of Slane, within the Boyne Valley of County Meath, Ireland. The castle has been the family seat of the Conyngham family since it was built in the late 18th century, on ...

instead.''Culture Northern Ireland'' Lord Belmore: Connoisseur, Collector of Art 11 April 2011
Lord Belmore was also on the board of the

National Gallery of Ireland The National Gallery of Ireland ( ga, Gailearaí Náisiúnta na hÉireann) houses the national collection of Irish and European art. It is located in the centre of Dublin with one entrance on Merrion Square, beside Leinster House, and another on ...

for five years, including a period as vice chairman.

Family

Lord Belmore was married on 8 September 1984 to Lady Mary Jane Meade (b. 12 July 1952), second daughter of John Charles Edmund Carson Meade, 6th

Earl of Clanwilliam Earl of Clanwilliam is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1776 for John Meade, 1st Viscount Clanwilliam. The Meade family descends from Sir John Meade, who represented Dublin University and County Tipperary in the Irish Hous ...

(1914-1989), by his wife Catherine Loyd, third daughter of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

Arthur Thomas Loyd, OBE, of Lockinge,

Wantage Wantage () is a historic market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. Although within the boundaries of the historic county of Berkshire, it has been administered as part of the Vale of White Horse district of Oxfordshire since 1974. T ...

, Berkshire (part of the Oxfordshire admin area since 1974), and has issue: *John Armar Galbraith Lowry-Corry, styled Viscount Corry (born 2 November 1985) * The Hon. Montagu Gilford George Lowry-Corry (b. 30 March 1989) *Lady Martha Catherine Addington (b. 27 May 1992) Lord and Lady Belmore and their family live at the Garden House at Castle Coole, while their son

Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...

Corry often uses private apartments at the main house.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belmore, John Lowry-Corry, 8th Earl 1951 births Living people People educated at Lancing College

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

Earls Belmore