The funeral of Lord Henry Mount Charles has heard how the Anglo-Irish aristocrat was spurred on by a need to "open the castle gates rather than keep them closed" amid political turmoil in the 70s and 80s.
The owner of Slane Castle died on Wednesday, June 18, with his family confirming that he had a "long and valiant battle with cancer."
Lord Henry, or Henry as he preferred, was the driving force behind every event at Slane Castle over the last 40 years, having decided to open his ancestral home to rock concerts back in 1981 when he inherited the running of the estate.
Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was amongst attendees alongside Tánaiste Simon Harris, Minister for Education Helen McEntee, and the aide de camp to An Taoiseach Michéal Martin, Joe Glennon.
U2 bassist Adam Clayton was also in attendance and read an adaptation from First Corinthians Chapter 13, while Henry’s brother Lord Simon read "The Canterville Ghost" by Oscar Wilde.
On Wednesday, June 25, the 74-year-old’s funeral mass took place at St. Patrick’s Church of Ireland, with access to the church reserved and allocated for family and provisions for mourners gathered outside.
June 25, 2025: The service booklet for the funeral of Lord Henry Mount Charles in Slane, Co Meath. (RollingNews.ie)
In his eulogy, Henry’s oldest son Alex revealed that his father had "initially struggled" with his Anglo-Irish identity, but the "fog of uncertainty" lifted following his time in Harvard, where he studied Irish history.
"He truly loved this country; its culture and people and counted himself blessed to be an Irishman," Alex said, despite facing "aggressive and negative graffiti" being found on the castle gates and walls.
Despite the graffiti, Henry was "emboldened" to work harder and soon realised "he needed to find ways to open the castle gates rather than keep them closed."
Alex branded the first Slane Festival, which took place in 1981 with Thin Lizzy headlining and supported by U2, as a "trail-blazing moment in the midst of palpable political tension."
Lord Henry Mount Charles in 1998. (RollingNews.ie)
Elsewhere in his eulogy, Alex joked: "As you know, dad was Henry the 8th, but thankfully, he only married twice."
Alex paid tribute to his mum Juliet, as well as step-mother Iona, and then went on to speak about Slane Whiskey and recalled how he approached his father with the idea of making their own whiskey.
Concluding the beautiful speech, an emotional Alex admitted his father would have been "so humbled by all of those who attended today and the last few days…"
"Thank you to those who have read and performed today, thanks to Reverend John Clarke, to Slane Tidy Towns, and to mum and Iona for the beautiful flowers… and thank you to Dad for trusting me with his legacy and to the warrior at my side Carina.
"And lastly, Dad's thanks and mine to all of you in Slane and online who have gathered here to say Slán to Henry."
The Navan to Slane road was closed for 45 minutes ahead of the funeral as the cortege made its way from Slane Castle to the village.
Locals gathered outside the church from 11 am with a close family friend telling Extra.ie: "Henry would love it, he’ll be sorely missed."
*This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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