Randal McDonnell, 8th Earl of Antrim

Randal John Somerled McDonnell, 8th Earl of Antrim (1911–1977) was a diplomat, activist, soldier and administrator from Northern Ireland. He became chairman of the National Trust in 1965.[1]

Life

He was the son of Randall McDonnell, 7th Earl of Antrim and his wife, Margaret Isabel Talbot, daughter of John Gilbert Talbot. He was educated at Eton College and at Christ Church, Oxford, which he left without taking a degree. He succeeded his father in 1932.[1] In 1937 he visited Valencia, during the Spanish Civil War, with Cyril Connolly.[2]

During World War II Antrim was a Royal Navy officer, with the rank of Lieutenant-Commander. With the Special Operations Executive and Peter Fleming he served in various theatres.[3][4][5]

Antrim was Chairman of the National Trust from 1965 to 1977.[6]

Family

Antrim married the artist Angela Sykes in 1934: she was the daughter of Sir Tatton Benvenuto Mark Sykes, 6th Baronet, and sister of Christopher Sykes. They lived at Glenarm Castle.[7]

They had three sons, one of whom died young, and a daughter Lady Christina who married Joseph Hoare, son of Sir Reginald Hervey Hoare. The elder surviving son Alexander succeeded his father as Earl; the younger son was Hector McDonnell the artist.[1][8]

Notes
  1. Winnifrith, John. "McDonnell, Randal John Somerled". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/31389. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. Humphrey Carpenter (7 November 2013). The Brideshead Generation: Evelyn Waugh and His Friends. Faber & Faber. p. 311. ISBN 978-0-571-30928-3.
  3. Michael Bloch; James Lees-Milne (8 December 2011). Diaries, 1942-1954. Hodder & Stoughton. p. 387 note 23. ISBN 978-1-84854-709-4.
  4. Thaddeus Holt (11 May 2010). The Deceivers: Allied Military Deception in the Second World War. Simon and Schuster. p. 622. ISBN 978-1-4391-0388-3.
  5. Tim Jones (8 July 2005). SAS: The First Secret Wars: The Unknown Years of Combat and Counter-Insurgency. I.B.Tauris. p. 77. ISBN 978-1-86064-676-8.
  6. James Lees-Milne; Michael Bloch (21 December 2011). Diaries, 1971-1983. Hodder & Stoughton. p. 432. ISBN 978-1-84854-710-0.
  7. "Angela MacDonnell (1911–1984): Sculptor, The Dictionary of Ulster Biography". Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  8. Hector McDonnell and Sanda Miller, Interview with Hector McDonnell, The GPA Irish Arts Review Yearbook (1988), pp. 93–99, at p. 93. Published by: Irish Arts Review. Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/20492054
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