Irish Eyes Smiling

While celebrating St. Patrick’s Day give a thought to the many Irish who lived in Italy in past centuries. There were soldiers (Major Myles O’Reilly), saints, (Luke Wadding) and bank teller/English teacher/authors (James Joyce!). A newly discovered connection shows that Irish eyes were once smiling in Northern Lazio too.

Joseph Denham was a penniless soldier from Cork who went to Italy as a shipping agent. A stroke of Irish luck plummeted him to the status of landed gentleman with huge estates on the Lazio and Tuscany border. As payment for a ship destroyed in the papal port of Civitavecchia, Denham and his heirs were granted a enfituesi (perpetual concession) over the towns of Onano, Proceno and the customs house at Centeno, giving him and his male heirs the right to “rule” these towns, collect tolls and customs taxes while encouraging commerce and farming in the area.

The Irish family lived like lords in the majestic Monaldeschi Castle but when all male Denhams had passed away, the lands should have been returned to the Church. Instead, one of the daughters, red haired Carlotta, had the spunk to ask Pope Clement XIV to change the rules. He conceded signing a new contract on August 29, 1773 and the extensive lands remained in the Denham family until the unification of Italy in 1861.

Madama Carlotta improved the roads, set up girls’ schools and a weaving industry. She was much loved by the local people and even today the family castle is still known as Palazzo Madama. A series of frescoes showing the saga of the Denham family have recently been discovered and restored and can be admired in the castle’s main rooms, now the office of Onano’s mayor.