Ellen Cuffe, Countess of Desart
| Ellen Cuffe | |
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Portrait painting of a young Ellen Cuffe
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| Born |
Ellen Odette Bischoffsheim 1 September 1857 London, England |
| Died | 29 June 1933 (aged 75) Waterloo Road, Dublin, Ireland |
| Resting place | Falmouth, Cornwall |
| Residence | Aut Even, Kilkenny |
| Occupation | Irish politician, company director and philanthropist |
| Known for | Philanthropy and Politics |
| Notable work | Kilkenny Library, Aut Even Hospital, the Woollen Mills, Kilkenny Woodworkers, Kilkenny Theatre, the Tobacco Growers Association, Desart Hall, Talbots Inch Village and Talbots Inch Suspension Bridge. |
| Title | Countess of Desart |
| Movement | Gaelic League |
| Spouse(s) | William Cuffe (1845–1898) |
Ellen Odette Cuffe, Countess of Desart (née Bischoffsheim; 1 September 1857 – 29 June 1933) was a London-born Jewish woman who was best known as an Irish politician, company director, Gaelicist (President of the Gaelic League for a time) and philanthropist in Ireland. She has been called '"the most important Jewish woman in Irish history".
She was the daughter of Henri Louis Bischoffsheim, a wealthy Jewish banker of German origin. He was responsible for founding three of the largest banks in the world; The Deutsche Bank, Paribas Bank, and Societe Generale. Her younger sister Amélie Bischoffsheim was married to Sir Maurice FitzGerald, 20th Knight of Kerry.
She married William Cuffe (1845–1898), the 4th Earl of Desart in on the 29th of April 1881 at Christ Church in Down Street, Mayfair.
After the death of her husband Lady Desart left the house in Cuffesgrange and moved to her home in Aut Even (a transcription of Áit Aoibhinn, the Irish for Beautiful Place) on the outskirts of Kilkenny city. She was interested in the Gaelic revival of the time and became a member of the Gaelic League and was elected its president, succeeding her brother-in-law, Captain Otway Cuffe, who was mayor of Kilkenny.
She commissioned the village of Talbot's Inch to be built by the architect William Alphonsus Scott. along with several other projects she and Capt. Cuffe developed together. These included; Kilkenny Library, Aut Even Hospital, the Woollen Mills, Kilkenny Woodworkers, Kilkenny Theatre, the Tobacco Growers Association, Desart Hall and Talbots Inch Suspension Bridge.
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