(ANSA) – LONDRA, 22 SET – Ireland pays tribute to Charles Bianconi, an Italian-Irish entrepreneur and philanthropist as well as a pioneer of immigration from the Peninsula to the green island, on the 150th anniversary of his passing. And Italian diplomacy is participating in the front row with the ambassador in Dublin, Nicola Faganello, as part of an official visit to Boherlahan, Cashel (County Tipperary): invited along with the honorary consul in Cork, Gabriella Caponi, by local authorities.
The occasion was the celebrations of the Bianconi Festival, dedicated to the memory of a figure who remains significant even today in the history of the Italian presence in the country and beyond. Remembered as “the king of the roads” and “the man who put Ireland on wheels,” Charles Bianconi, who was born in 1786 in Tregolo, in what is now the province of Lecco, emigrated in 1802 and died in 1875, is best known for the extensive and articulated network of horse-drawn carriages he developed in the 19th century: the “first regular public transportation system” on the island.
Ceremonies in his honor, however, remembered not only his entrepreneurial talents, but also his commitment in social and political spheres: during the great famine unleashed on Ireland between 1845 and 1849, as well as in support of the founding of schools and philanthropic and humanitarian initiatives. Twice elected mayor of Clonmel, Bianconi was among other things a friend and supporter of Daniel O’Connell, a historical figure in Catholic emancipation and Irish independence.
Following a mass of suffrage, and a visit to the Bianconi family chapel, the ambassador attended – along with Liam O’ Dwyer, chairman of the Friends of Bianconi Foundation, and a number of local parliamentarians and politicians – the unveiling of a commemorative plaque marking the 150th anniversary.
Read article…
The occasion was the celebrations of the Bianconi Festival, dedicated to the memory of a figure who remains significant even today in the history of the Italian presence in the country and beyond. Remembered as “the king of the roads” and “the man who put Ireland on wheels,” Charles Bianconi, who was born in 1786 in Tregolo, in what is now the province of Lecco, emigrated in 1802 and died in 1875, is best known for the extensive and articulated network of horse-drawn carriages he developed in the 19th century: the “first regular public transportation system” on the island.
Ceremonies in his honor, however, remembered not only his entrepreneurial talents, but also his commitment in social and political spheres: during the great famine unleashed on Ireland between 1845 and 1849, as well as in support of the founding of schools and philanthropic and humanitarian initiatives. Twice elected mayor of Clonmel, Bianconi was among other things a friend and supporter of Daniel O’Connell, a historical figure in Catholic emancipation and Irish independence.
Following a mass of suffrage, and a visit to the Bianconi family chapel, the ambassador attended – along with Liam O’ Dwyer, chairman of the Friends of Bianconi Foundation, and a number of local parliamentarians and politicians – the unveiling of a commemorative plaque marking the 150th anniversary.
Read article…
