It was a joy to see Catherine, Princess of Wales, out and about today, raising a glass of Guinness in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day with her regiment, the Irish Guards. While other members of the British Royal family were also taking part in the day’s festivities, scandal-plagued Andrew, Duke of York, continued to keep a low profile.

There was a previous Duke of York who did not always keep his baser instincts in check. In spite of that, Frederick, Duke of York (1763-1827) was a patriot with a generous nature and beloved by the soldiers he commanded. In his role as president of the Benevolent Society of St. Patrick, the 26-year old Prince took his seat on March 17, 1790, as chair of an annual fundraising dinner at the London Tavern on Bishopsgate Street.

Four Anglo-Irishmen served as the Society’s vice presidents. That year they were Richard Lambart, Earl of Cavan (1763-1837), an officer in the Coldstream Guards;  Frederick Ponsonby, Viscount Duncannon (1758-1844), a Member of Parliament; Edmund Burke (1729–1797), an MP and a political philosopher; and Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816), an MP as well as a talented playwright.

There were also 12 Anglo-Irish stewards that night. They included Richard Barry, Earl of Barrymore (1769-1793), a young man with a reputation as a gambler, womanizer, and prankster, who had just joined the Royal Berkshire Militia;  Lord Henry Fitzgerald (1761-1829), an officer in the 2nd Foot Guards; Robert Wigram (1744-1830), a merchant shipbuilder; and Lieutenant Colonel John St. Leger (1756-1799) of the First Foot Guards, who was a courtier to the Prince of Wales and a candidate for election to the House of Commons.

On that evening in London in 1790, this gathering of gentlemen of the nobility and gentry donated enough money to sponsor apprenticeships for 40 impoverished Irish boys and girls, with the aim of empowering them to take care of themselves and to become contributing members of the community.