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Ireland owes debt of gratitude to Bourn and Vincent families for 1932 bequest that became Ireland's first national park·Official reception to mark exceptional contribution of family to Irish life, North and South
Friday 28th June, 2013
- Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, in the company of the Vincent family and invited guests, will today pay respect to the late Mr Arthur William Bourn Vincent - known as Billy - at an official reception in Muckross House.
Billy Vincent died in October 2012 at the age of 93 and this afternoon his ashes will be interred alongside the remains of his late father, Senator Arthur Rose Vincent. Mr Vincent's widow, Elizabeth Vincent, along with family members and friends will attend a memorial service St Marys Church of Ireland, Killarney, followed by an official reception in Muckross House - Billy Vincent's childhood home - hosted by Minister Deenihan.
This official reception is in recognition of Billy Vincent's outstanding contribution to philanthropy and the difference that he made to the lives of many, North and South.
Minister Deenihan commented:
"Billy was a former president and chairman of the American Irish Foundation and vice-chairman of the American Ireland Fund. As Maurice Hayes noted, Billy embodied the core values of the Ireland Funds: compassion, honesty and integrity, concern for others, a sense of justice and fair play, and abhorrence of violence. He lived a varied life, and indeed lived in many places, but was very proud of his Kerry roots and his boyhood home.
Minister Deenihan also paid warm tribute to the Billy Vincent's father and grandparents, as through their actions the first of Ireland's national parks was established:
"We owe a debt of gratitude to the Bourn and Vincent families. The genesis of Ireland's national parks can be traced back to a decision they made to present the Muckross Estate to the people of Ireland in 1932. Their extraordinary gift became part of Ireland's first national park with Billy Vincent's childhood home at the heart of it.
"Billy Vincent's father and grandparents planted a seed, and it blossomed. Killarney National Park is now one of six such parks spread across the country, and is a jewel of nature that people from across the country and the world can now enjoy.
Concluding his tribute to Billy Vincent, Minister Deenihan said:
"Those of us who knew and loved Billy knew of his warmth, his wit and his generosity. We also knew that he had little time for pomposity and I will finish by quoting two lines from the poem by Seamus Heaney which captures the essence of the man himself:
"Prince of giving, saoi, ard-rí,
His Kerry court around him."
The ashes of Mr Arthur William Bourn Vincent will be interred to rest alongside the remains of his father, Senator Arthur Rose Vincent, in the cemetery at Killegy, which overlooks Muckross.
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Note to Editors:
Following the death of Billy Vincent's mother in 1929, Billy's father in association with his parents-in-law (Mr & Mrs Bourn) decided to present Muckross to the Irish Nation. All three had come to the conclusion that sustaining Muckross was going to become too big an undertaking for any private individual or family.
In December 1932, the Irish Government through the Commissioners of Public Works accepted responsibility for maintaining and managing the Park as the first National park in the State for the purpose of the recreation and enjoyment of the general public.