Lessons from an Irish Banana Man

While in Ireland this summer on a week long quasi-historical tour (shout out to my in-laws and Gate 1 Travel), we had the opportunity to visit Kylemore Castle & Abbey, built in 1867 by the son of a wealthy cotton business man, Mitchell Henry, and his wife, Margaret. As I toured the grounds, I was overcome with amazement at what this man accomplished in his lifetime, and Henry immediately became one of my heroes.

You may be wondering, "what does this have to do with development?", or you may have already skipped to the pictures, and I don't blame you! One way I define development is positive change-- which the Henry's did plenty of in their lifetimes.

• They provided jobs to over 300 impoverished rural land tenants to build their massive castle and hired many of these same people to work on their property. 

• They were kind and generous to their employees, giving them a very livable wage during tough economic times.

•  Mitchell fought for the political freedom of the Irish people in Parliament, and he wasn't even Irish!--though his grandfather was.
   
• They planted 300,000 trees per year, restoring degraded soils. As a tree-lover myself, at this point I knew Mitchell and I would have been best buds.

• As Protestants they promoted social unity by hosting their Catholic neighbors at their castle.

• After Margaret's death at the young age of 44, Mitchell built a miniature Gothic cathedral in her honor.

• They had incredible gardens for their time which included heated greenhouses that grew bananas and other tropical fruit--in Ireland!
• Mitchell did agricultural research and shared the knowledge with the locals.

•  They used hydroelectric power to provide electricity to their castle. At night when the whole castle was lit up and gleaming off the water, it was an incredible view. Just think what people would've thought in the 1870's when electricity was extremely rare!

If you're an ag development nerd like me, you'll find Kylemore Castle a refreshing place to visit. Mitchell Henry realized the importance of fighting for political freedom while also encouraging grassroots efforts. He knew that job creation would empower individuals more than handouts. He showed how ideas spread through success in on-farm research can have a lasting impact. He demonstrated how caring for the environment is a worthy investment, benefiting himself and many future generations. Mitchell Henry was a man before his time. The Henry legacy is one that inspires each of us to bring about positive change in our own Ireland.

Source: Personal experience and History of Kylemore Castle & Abbey by Kathleen Villiers-Tuthill