John de Courcy, 35th Baron Kingsale

Who was John de Courcy, 35th Baron Kingsale?

John de Courcy, 35th Baron Kingsale was the Premier Baron of Ireland.

He succeeded his grandfather to the title in 1969, his father, Lieutenant-Commander The Honourable Michael de Courcy, RN, having been killed in action in 1940.

Lord Kingsale was educated at Stowe School, and the Universities of Paris and Salzburg. He was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Irish Guards 1962–1965, after which he resigned due to being unable to keep himself on his limited private income.

Lord Kingsale was famous for his varied career. At various times he was a property developer, law student, film extra, white hunter, and bingo caller. He also ran a dating service in Australia — which was successful although he never managed himself to marry, although he made repeated attempts to acquire a wife. He was director of several companies, Chairman of the National Association for Service to the Realm from 1979, and Patron of L'Orchestre du Monde from 1988.

The family is named for the village of Courcy-sur-Dives, in Calvados, France. They were also Lords of the Manor of Stogursey, Somerset. Lord Kingsale died in sheltered housing in Somerset, where he had lived since 1994, on 15 September 2005.