A New Zealander with a passion for history – and for Ireland through his wife’s ancestry as a member of the Guinness family – has just published a new book that traces the other side of her roots…embedded deep in the story of Ballinasloe.

Rod Smith from Tauranga in New Zealand describes his story of the Trench family of Garbally House as ‘the culmination of a 30-year fascination with Irish history’.

But it is also the story of his wife Glennis, who is a descendant of both the Trenches and the Guinness dynasty – and they are coming to Ballinasloe for an Irish launch next month.

“I published Guinness Down Under in 2018, and this September, my new book will be released – Clancarty; the high times and humble of a noble Irish family,” says Rod.

“The book has a chapter on the origins of the Trench family, and then nine chapters, one on each of the nine Earls of Clancarty from 1803 to the present day,” he explains.

Spanning nine generations and 220 years, Clancarty unveils the history of the Earls of Clancarty, from their life at Garbally House, to their eventual retreat to England.

Tracing their lineage to Frederic de la Tranche, a Huguenot exile in the late 1500s, the Trenches built an empire in Ireland over two centuries.

As servants of the Establishment, they were rewarded with peerages and lucrative appointments – but their descendants were unable to adapt to Ireland’s changing landscape in the late 19th century, opportunities were missed and resources squandered.

Among the life stories chronicled is that of the first Earl, William Power Keating Trench – Billy to his friends, Willy to relatives – landowner, MP, military commander and holder of peerage titles, but still described as something of a lightweight preoccupied with status.

“He matured quickly however on a wintry December morning in Bantry in December 1796 when he looked out into the bay and saw 17 French warships with hundreds of soldiers ready to destroy him and his world,” writes Rod.

“William grew closer to the English governors of Ireland later in his life and was rewarded accordingly, though he enjoyed his earldom for just two years – from 1803 until his death aged 64 in 1805.”

Richard Power Le Poer Trench was the second Earl of Clancarty from 1805 to 1837 – and by far the most eminent member in the family story who served as Britain’s ambassador to the Netherlands for a decade – before he forgot his place and his bossy temper offended the King and cost him his job.

“He withdrew to the comfort of his prejudices and his world in Galway where he was answerable to nobody, grew out of touch with the changes occurring around him, and was eventually deserted, blustering alone in the House of Lords while his peers went to lunch.”

Rod gives each of the Earls a chapter; William Thomas Le Poer Trench the Earl of Clancarty from 1837 to 1872; Richard Somerset Le Poer Trench, Earl from 1872 to 1891, 19 years, and William Frederick Le Poer Trench, Earl of Clancarty from 1891 to 1929, 38 years, and the final Trench occupier of the Garbally estate.

“Known as Fred, he was the most colourful of all the Earls and regularly in the public domain for much of his life – for all the wrong reasons,” writes Rod.

“Fred’s great-grandfather and grandfather made significant contributions to public life in Ireland and England. His father was willing but unable. Fred was neither willing nor able.

“Fulfilling his personal wishes was the only thing that mattered, and if that meant using other people’s money or not telling the full story so be it: he could try and repair the damage later.

“He wasted money on gambling and high living, and insisted on an aristocratic lifestyle, assuming his parents or the family estate would always pay the bills, blithely ignoring control or discipline. Debts and bankruptcy made no difference and eventually his disregard for the strictures placed on him resulted in a prison sentence.”

The dynasty is continued by Richard Frederick John Donough Le Poer Trench was the Earl of Clancarty from 1929 to 1971, 42 years, the longest of those who held the title, followed by the seventh Earl, Greville Sydney Rochfort Le Poer Trench from 1971 to 1975.

Born in December 1902 he was the youngest of William and Belle’s five children, and the last of the family to be born at Garbally.

William Francis Brinsley Le Poer Trench was Earl of Clancarty for 20 years from 1975 to 1995 – a one-time Nazi sympathizer who had tea with Adolf Hitler and later became a world authority on UFOs – followed by the current Earl, Nicholas Power Richard Le Poer Trench, who succeeded his uncle Brinsley in May 1995.

“As things stand, he will be the last to hold the title. Be that as it may, Nick is not going quietly. Modest he may be, but he is a regular and forthright speaker in the House of Lords and, if the issue is about arts or Europe or those on society’s margins, he will be on his feet sooner or later,” reveals Rod.

Rod and Glennis Smith are in Galway from October 17 to 21 – and the launch of Clancarty; the high times and humble of a noble Irish family takes place in Ballinasloe Library on Saturday, October 19, at 2.30pm, hosted by the Ballinasloe and District Heritage Society.

Pictured: Author Rod Smith.