Alexander Randal Mark McDonnell, 9th Earl of Antrim, (3 February 1935 – 21 July 2021), known as Alexander Dunluce, was a landowner,

hereditary peer The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of April 2025, there are 800 hereditary peers: 30 dukes (including six royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 189 earls, 108 viscounts, and 439 barons (not counting subsidiary ...

, artist, and art restorer. He lived mostly at his ancestral home, Glenarm Castle,

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...

, Ireland. As his titles were in the

peerage of Ireland The peerage of Ireland consists of those Peerage, titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lordship of Ireland, Lord or Monarchy of Ireland, King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great B ...

, he did not sit in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

Early life and education

Lord Antrim was the eldest son of Randal McDonnell, 8th Earl of Antrim (1911–1977) and his artist wife Angela Sykes (1911–1984), daughter of Sir Mark Sykes, Bt. As

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

to his father's titles he was styled Viscount Dunluce from his birth until 1977. Brought up as a Roman Catholic, Antrim was educated at

Downside School Downside School (formally The College of St Gregory the Great, Downside but simply referred to as Downside) is an 11–18 mixed, Roman Catholic, independent, day and boarding school in Stratton-on-the-Fosse, Somerset, England. It was establish ...

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

, and the Ruskin School of Drawing & Fine Art.

Career

Lord Antrim worked as an art restorer for the

Tate Gallery Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...

, holding the posts of Keeper of Conservation, 1975–1995, and Director of Collection Services, 1990–1995. He was also a Director of

Ulster Television UTV (formerly Ulster Television, branded on air as ITV1 since 2020) is the ITV (TV network), ITV region covering Northern Ireland, ITV subsidiary and the former on-air name of the free-to-air public broadcast television channel serving the ar ...

from 1982 to 2000, Chairman of Northern Salmon Co. Ltd, from 2000 to 2008, and Prime Warden of the

Worshipful Company of Fishmongers The Worshipful Company of Fishmongers (or Fishmongers' Company) is one of the 111 livery companies of the City of London, being an incorporated guild of sellers of fish and seafood in the City. The Company ranks fourth in the order of precede ...

for the year 1995–1996. He was the first to spot the potential of

Bankside Power Station Bankside Power Station is a decommissioned electricity generating station located on the south bank of the River Thames, in the Bankside area of the Borough of Southwark, London. It generated electricity from 1891 to 1981. It was also used as ...

as a site for the

Tate Modern Tate Modern is an art gallery in London, housing the United Kingdom's national collection of international Modern art, modern and contemporary art (created from or after 1900). It forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Live ...

Appointments

*Director of

(UTV) *Fellow of the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

*Member of the

Marine Biological Association The Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom (MBA) is a learned society with a scientific laboratory that undertakes research in marine biology. The organisation was founded in 1884 and has been based in Plymouth since the Citadel Hil ...

*Patron of the Arts Society of Ulster

Marriages and children

Antrim was married twice and had four children. Firstly, he married Sarah Harmsworth on 9 February 1963. They had three children: *

Lady ''Lady'' is a term for a woman who behaves in a polite way. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the female counterpart of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. "Lady" is al ...

Flora Mary McDonnell (born 7 November 1963), married Dr Thomas Pennybacker. * Lady Alice Angela Jane McDonnell (born 5 December 1964) * Randal Alexander St John McDonnell, 10th Earl of Antrim (born 2 July 1967) Antrim and his first wife divorced in 1974 and 21 October 1977 he married secondly Elizabeth Sacher. They had one daughter: * Lady Rachel Frances McDonnell (born 24 February 1978) His younger brother was the artist Hector McDonnell.

Death

Lord Antrim died on 21 July 2021 from sepsis at the age of 86 after a short illness. His funeral was held at the Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church in Glenarm.

Sources

*''The Complete Peerage'', volume 14 (1998) *''Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 106th Edition'' (1999)
9th Earl of Antrim at thepeerage.com
1935 births 2021 deaths People educated at Downside School Prime Wardens of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Alumni of the Ruskin School of Art Earls of Antrim People from Glenarm {{Ireland-earl-stub