'Once in a lifetime' moments: Inside one of Northern Ireland’s grandest estates...Housekeeper’s memoir raises funds for Dementia NI
Former housekeeper Elaine Graham shares 25 years of stories, recipes and remarkable moments from the Dufferin estate
A new book is raising vital funds to support the work of Dementia NI while providing a rare opportunity for readers to imagine life at one of Northern Ireland’s grandest estates.
Offering a peek behind the curtains of the famous Clandeboye House outside Bangor, ‘A Place at the Table’ is a new book from Elaine Graham, who spent 25 years there as cook and housekeeper to the late Lady Dufferin.
In her memoir, Elaine provides a true fly on the wall perspective of life at the 2,000-acre estate, sharing memories, recounting unique experiences and those alarmingly regular “once in a lifetime” moments, thanks to Lady Dufferin’s influence and charisma and her ‘who’s who’ of famous and notable guests.
Following her retirement from a quarter of a century as part of estate life, Elaine took the advice of her children and started putting pen to paper, with the help of friend and ghost writer Mae Burke MBE.
Self-published in 2025, ‘A Place at the Table’ is a captivating read, flowing as though you are chatting with Elaine herself at the estate’s huge kitchen island, as she prepares one of the recipes that feature throughout the book.
Bringing together the ‘Tales and Tastes from the Dufferin House of Guinness’, this charming memoir evokes nostalgia and piques the reader’s interest in what life was like at Clandeboye, whether as a guest or member of staff.
Accompanied by Mae, Elaine recently presented a cheque for £1,000 to Dementia NI to support the organisation’s members – all of whom have a diagnosis of dementia – and its network of Empowerment Groups across Northern Ireland.
Dementia NI is a local charity working with people in the early to mid-stages of dementia. It is a membership organisation, and Dementia NI works directly with its members, empowering them to use their voice in decisions that affect their everyday lives.
The book is £9.99 with proceeds being split between Dementia NI and the Alzheimer’s Society. To secure your copy of the book, Elaine can be contacted directly via [email protected].
For more information on the work of Dementia NI, visit www.dementiani.org or call 02896931555.