Thomas Francis Dermot Pakenham, well known resident and owner of Tullynally Castle just outside Castlepollard, is the 8th Earl of Longford but prefers to be known simply as Thomas Pakenham.
Thomas is an Anglo-Irish Historian and Arborist who has written several prize-winning books on the diverse subjects of African history, Victorian and post-Victorian British history, and trees. A journalist by profession, Thomas comes from a family of eight children. His father, Frank Pakenham was a politician and was the seventh Earl of Longford, having inherited the title from his elder brother.
Thomas regards titles as “an anachronism – and a double anachronism in Ireland since we don’t use such titles”.
Thomas’ mother was Elizabeth Harmon, daughter of a Harley Street doctor and an aunt of current Member of Parliament (MP) for Camberwell and Peckham, Harriet Harmon. “My mother came from a radical side of the Labour Party – she converted my father to socialism and my father converted her to Catholicism,” Thomas cited.
Thomas celebrated his 90th birthday on Monday, 14 August and we wish him many more healthy and happy years in Tullynally, educating all those who wish to learn about his love of nature and his passion for trees.
