Cultured Views

So, you want to run a hotel/B&B?…

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These days it seems the ‘thing’ to do for many Brit’s is to move to France and run a B&B. So much so that it has almost become a catchphrase. Go to any of the several French property exhibitions on offer around the UK and you will see literally thousands of British people looking hopefully at the real estate on offer. If you listen closely enough to the property agent ask…”And what do you hope to do in France?”, you will hear many replies of…”Well, we thought we’d like to run a B&B”.
OK, serious business people aside, the average Brit sees his new life in France doing bed and breakfast. Well, all you do is buy a place with a few extra rooms, do them up, advertise, then wait for the guests to roll in.

THEN…when the guests start rolling in, your new life will consist of making up their beds and serving them breakfast before waving them off in their car. A nice, simple life. (An evil laugh echoes in the background).

Then, there are the smaller number of us who decide that to buy a hotel would be a brilliant idea. (The evil laughter gets reeeaallly loud here). Because, in many cases, the joke will be on ‘you’!.

For those of you who wish to buy either a) a hotel, or b) a B&B…here are some of the ways in which your life will be enhanced…

Social life: What social life?, especially during the summer.

Financially: Brilliant, if you manage 70-100% occupancy, 10 months of the year, AND provided you have lots of savings put aside to see you through the winter months. AND, provided you won’t be expecting any financial assistance from your French bank after your purchase…because they do not provide any.

An easy life working from home as your own boss: HA!. I repeat, HA!! (the second ‘ha’ is for those who have bought a hotel).

Meeting new people from lots of different places: This is one of the positive sides, however, once you get used to certain nationalities and their ‘ways’ your life and business will run so much smoother. In most cases…

There is one saying that applies to no other business more than the hospitality trade…’you can please most of the people some of the time, and some of the people most of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time’.

Yes, I have taken some liberty with that saying, but ALL in this trade, my trade, would no doubt agree.

Tomorrow…your guests and their habits and ways.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Tracing your Family History: Brownhall and the Hamilton’s.

I was very fortunate to find that my Hamilton line of ancestry had been well recorded over the years. It certainly helps when you find they have been the subject of a book or two.
If the name ‘Hamilton’ happens to be in your line of enquiry you will find you are going to be for quite a task. This is because so many with the name travelled from Scotland to America and many other parts of the world.

Here, I will deal with the Hamilton’s of Brownhall in Co Donegal. Bear in mind that many with this name settled in Co Donegal, even tenants of Brownhall Demesne bore the Hamilton name…but not the same history!. Remember this is a name like ‘Jones’ or ‘Smith’ - it is quite commonly found in Ireland.

‘Brownhall’ was recorded as a dwelling as early as around 1570-90 and was situated at Murvagh, near the small village of Ballintra.
No trace remains of the original house - to my knowledge anyway, and I’ve been there a few times. In 1690 the then John Hamilton and his wife, Jane (nee Creighton), moved the family seat to a location that is now on a hill amidst the valleys outside of Ballintra. Having seen the general location of the original house and the location of the present house, I can only marvel at this feat. The two locations are a good 25 km’s (at least) apart from each other, and the terrain in the wet would have been extremely difficult to deal with.

The house has been in it’s present location since 1690. Jane Creighton was the daughter of Col. Abraham Creighton, and this man was the ancestor of the line of the Earls of Erne. The spelling is sometimes ‘Crighton’, depends where and what you read. The family is found in Debretts Peerage.
One clue about this Hamilton family is in the names of the sons. They followed the tradition of naming the first son/heir after the paternal grandfather. So, to this day, the names have gone James, John, James, John….
The family have never deviated from this, so if you have a William, or a Charles for example down as an ancestor of your own chances are that you are form another line of Hamiltons. As far as I have found, there has never been a Charles in this family. They stuck to pretty much the same names over the years.

Up until the late 19th century Brownhall Demesne was an extensive estate comprising hundreds of square miles; today it is greatly reduced, but it is still there and in the hands of the family. One of the few ‘old’ families to retain their ancestral home.

See site: Hamilton Family History

Popularity: 7% [?]

Northern Ireland…the next stage.

Anyone with an interest in the people, future and politics of Northern Ireland would have watched the massive ‘posturing’ last week of Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness as they took over the reins of the Northen Ireland Assembly.

These two men, both longtime sworn enemies and obstacles to the peace process there, form a somewhat odd alliance. For many years throughout The Troubles they both called for resolution and yet both hindered a way to find one.
It would not pay to get too ‘warm and cuddly’ about all of this too soon.

Sure, the men at the top have chosen to stand sort of side by side, but if this new era in Northern Ireland is to bring the people the peace and consistency they deserve, the real work must be done outside of Stormont and inside the homes of the citizens themselves.

So far to date there are only two sides to politics there; you are either Nationalist or Unionist. Depending upon where you live, where you go to church (if you go to church), and where your ancestors came from.
In my opinion, if Northern Ireland is to present it’s people with a greater choice of elected representatives other than Paisley or McGuinness in the future, what is needed is a more ‘diluted’ population. Immigration. People who are not Irish, or Scottish, maybe not even Catholic or Protestant. People whose concerns have no connection with the bigoted and violent past that was Northern Ireland.

Some say the way forward is Integrated Schooling. Maybe so. A nations future always lies with it’s youth. But, to me, a more diverse population may also be the way.

Popularity: 4% [?]