Thady Windham Thomas Wyndham-Quin, 7th Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl (27 October 1939 – 25 March 2011) was an Irish

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 ...

Early life

Lord Dunraven was born in 1939, the third child and only son of Richard Wyndham-Quin, 6th Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl and his wife Nancy Yuille. He was educated at

Ludgrove School Ludgrove School is an English independent school, independent boys' Preparatory school (UK), preparatory boarding school. Ludgrove was founded in 1892 at Ludgrove Hall in Middlesex by the Old Etonian sportsman Arthur Dunn. Dunn had been employed ...

and at the

Institut Le Rosey Institut Le Rosey (), commonly referred to as Le Rosey or simply Rosey, is a private school, private boarding school in Rolle, Switzerland. It was founded in 1880 by Paul-Émile Carnal on the site of the 14th-century Château du Rosey in the tow ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. In 1956, while a schoolboy, he contracted

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

in the

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

epidemic and was a wheelchair user for the rest of his life. He received the benefit of Swiss medical expertise in treating the disease, but he remained confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He succeeded to the earldom and its subsidiary titles in 1965 upon the death of his father.''Who's Who 2007'' (A. & C. Black Ltd, London, 2007)

Career

Lord Dunraven sold the ancestral home of

Adare Manor Adare Manor is a manor house located on the banks of the River Maigue in the village of Adare, County Limerick, Ireland, the former seat of the Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl. The present house was built in the early 19th century, though r ...

and its 840 acres in 1984 to Irish-American businessman

Tom Kane Tom Kane (born 1962) is an American former voice actor. He is known for his work in animation and video games, most notably the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Career Kane began his voice acting career in 1977 when he was just 14 years old. Some of his ...

. The manor was converted into the

Adare Manor Hotel Adare Manor is a manor house located on the banks of the River Maigue in the village of Adare, County Limerick, Ireland, the former seat of the Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl. The present house was built in the early 19th century, though reta ...

. Thereafter he lived with his family at nearby

Kilgobbin House Kilgobbin House is a country house in Adare, County Limerick, Ireland. Kilgobbin was the original seat of the Quin family, and mostly served as the dower house A dower house is usually a moderately large house available for use by the wid ...

. The family also owned the Dunraven Arms Hotel which was sold to hotelier

Brian Murphy Brian Murphy may refer to: Sportspeople * Brian Murphy (Jamaican cricketer) (born 1973), Jamaican cricketer * Brian Murphy (Zimbabwean cricketer) (born 1976), Zimbabwean cricketer * Brian Murphy (baseball) (born 1980), American head baseball coac ...

and is now owned by

Louis Murphy Louis Morris Murphy Jr. (born May 11, 1987) is an American former professional American football, football wide receiver. He played college football for the Florida Gators football, University of Florida, where he was a member of two BCS Nation ...

. He was chairman of the

Irish Wheelchair Association The Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) is a charity in Ireland that works with people with physical disabilities. Founded in 1960. by 2016 it reportedly had approximately 2,000 registered volunteers across its 32 volunteer branches. The IWA's obje ...

for two decades. The Dunraven Centre, a disability resource centre at Limerick Enterprise Development Park, is named after him. Not only was he chairperson of the Irish Wheelchair Association for decades, he was also a disability activist and did a lot of work to try and make Ireland a more inclusive place for people who suffer with disabilities. Lord Dunraven spent much time studying advances in other countries in facilities provided for people confined to wheelchairs and used this information in many submissions to government. In a tribute by the Irish Wheelchair Association they described Lord Thady Dunraven as "a man who worked to make this country totally accessible to people with disabilities". As president of the wheelchair association until 1991, he advocated for greater accessibility to public spaces, an issue that had previously received little attention. There were no official figures to the number of disabled in Ireland and there was a lack of information about their needs. The Irish Wheelchair Association said Lord Dunraven used his title and status to help others as well, as he could articulate the needs of the disabled and push a response at government level. Lord Dunraven was also a patron to the local school in Adare which was built by his anscestors.

Marriage and children

On 15 February 1969, Dunraven married Geraldine McAleer, daughter of

Air Commodore Air commodore (Air Cdre or Air Cmde) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

Gerard Ward McAleer,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, MB, BCh. They had one daughter: * Lady Ana Elizabeth Wyndham-Quin (born 20 March 1972), married Duncan Johnson in 2009. After his passing, his wife Lady Geraldine Wyndham-Quin devoted her time to keeping his legacy alive by campaigning for people who suffer with disabilities in Ireland and spreading awareness about the need for more fascilities for the disabled in Ireland as well. The Dunraven estates continued to be operated by Lady Geraldine and their daughter Lady Ana. Lady Geraldine has presented different lectures about the history of Lord Thady Wyndham-Quin and his anscestors, where she delves into topics such as how the family came to wealth through coal mines and that it was the coal industry that built the famous Adare Manor. The First Lord of Dunraven lived in Kilgobbin House and all the other Lords of Dunraven have returned to live there with their own families.

Death

Lord Dunraven died at his home on 25 March 2011, at the age of 71 after suffering from a short illness. As he had no sons and as there were no other surviving male line descendants of the 1st Earl, the earldom and subsidiary titles became extinct upon his death.The 7th Earl of Dunraven and Mount Earl
''Telegraph Announcements'', 28 March 2011

Ancestry

References

External links

* ttp://www.geni.com/people/Thady-Wyndham-Quin/6000000011993784311 ancestry 1939 births 2011 deaths People educated at Ludgrove School Alumni of Institut Le Rosey Nobility from County Limerick People from Sandleford, Berkshire Irish royalty and nobility with disabilities Earls of Dunraven and Mount-Earl Polio survivors {{Ireland-earl-stub