Finnstown, Lord Lucan and Richie

We spent our first night in Ireland at the lovely Finnstown Castle Hotel. We went to check the place out, get our luggage in and take a few pictures before leaving to get dinner for the night.

One of the workers at Finnstown recommended Lord Lucan as a good option. It was supposed to have good food, good

service and wasn't too far from the Hotel.

That sounded good to all of us, so after we took some looks around the very beautiful grounds, it didn't take long to work up the appetite and head in to find the Lord Lucan.

*sidenote - after a Taxi driver told us a little tidbit about Lord Lucan after we returned, I looked him up - fun story*

"Born Richard John Bingham
18 December 1934
Marylebone, London, England
Other titles
Baron Bingham, Baron Lucan, Baronet Bingham of Castlebar

Disappeared 7 November 1974 (aged 39)
England
Status Declared dead 3 February 2016
Body discovered Not found
Residence Belgravia, London
Other names: Lucky Lucan
Occupation: Banker, Professional gambler
Title 7th Earl of Lucan

Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan (18 December 1934 – disappeared 7 November 1974), commonly known as Lord Lucan, was a British peer suspected of murder who disappeared in 1974. He was an Anglo-Irish aristocrat, the eldest son of George Bingham, 6th Earl of Lucan, by his wife Kaitlin Dawson. An evacuee during the Second World War, Lucan returned to attend Eton College, and then from 1953 to 1955 served with the Coldstream Guards in West Germany. He developed a taste for gambling and, skilled at backgammon and bridge, became an early member of the Clermont Club. Although his losses often exceeded his winnings, he left his job at a London-based merchant bank and became a professional gambler. He was known as Lord Bingham from April 1949 until January 1964, during his father's lifetime.

Once considered for the role of James Bond in the cinematic adaptations of Ian Fleming's novels, Lucan was known for his expensive tastes; he raced power boats and drove an Aston Martin. In 1963 he married Veronica Duncan, by whom he had three children. When the marriage collapsed late in 1972, he moved out of the family home at 46 Lower Belgrave Street, in London's Belgravia, to a property nearby. A bitter custody battle ensued, which Lucan lost. He began to spy on his wife and record their telephone conversations, apparently obsessed with regaining custody of the children. This fixation, combined with his gambling losses, had a dramatic effect on his life and personal finances.

On the evening of 7 November 1974, the children's nanny, Sandra Rivett, was bludgeoned to death in the basement of the Lucan family home. Lady Lucan was also attacked; she later identified Lucan as her assailant. As the police began their murder investigation, Lucan telephoned his mother, asking her to collect the children, and then drove a borrowed Ford Corsair to a friend's house in Uckfield, East Sussex. Hours later, he left the property and vanished without trace. The car was found abandoned in Newhaven, its interior stained with blood and its boot containing a piece of bandaged lead pipe similar to one found at the crime scene. A warrant for Lucan's arrest was issued a few days later, and in his absence the inquest into Rivett's death named him as her murderer, the last occasion in Britain a coroner's court did so.

Within Britain, there has been continuing interest in Lucan's fate. Since Rivett's murder, hundreds of reported sightings have been made in various countries around the world; none have been substantiated. Despite a police investigation and huge press interest, Lucan has not been found and is presumed dead; a death certificate was issued in 2016."

Went to eat at Lord Lucans - a proper Irish pub and restaurant - Richie and Laura were our servers - Richie was hilarious, helpful and cool as shit. Kate loved him and they were both O’Briens. We toasted Dave, we toasted Lori, we debated the spelling of slainte (I think I was right), and then we drank for the sake of it because...Ireland. Kelly was fed a shot and Tim got to go behind the bar to pour his own first Guinness in Ireland. We indulged in Bushmill shots, followed by a plethora of ciders and beers.

It was a great time. Some of us were barely making it on what fumes we had, so opted to go back and go to bed - luckily for

the others, Jim’s pub was inside the castle, so we reassembled there, where we continued to drink, toast and share stories. At some point, Amy went to get shots and disappeared for awhile….I was a little inolved in a conversation at the time, but finally realized and about that time, heard her laugh. I went into the bar area, where she was with three folks - An older guy I can’t remember his name - Katy, a 23 year old from Ireland, and her boyfriend Jack from England. They went and had a smoke with those of us that did and then rejoined us for more drinks. Then Kate found the Jersey boys and brought them over.

It was a fun day, eveining and night and we closed down the pub, Savvas (our bartender from Greece) was likely thankful.

Went back and slept like babies with the plan to get up and share breakfast in the castle at 9.

Most of us did. :)

And then there was Kate and Amy...who didn't quite make it.