James David Bourchier

[3] Bourchier was born in Limerick and studied at Portora Royal School, Enniskillen and Trinity College Dublin, where he was elected a scholar in classics in 1871.

[4] Deeply engaged in the processes that were taking place on the Balkan peninsula at that time, Bourchier supported the idea that the island of Crete be annexed by Greece.

With his numerous publications in the British press, and in his private and social correspondence, Bourchier repeatedly voiced his sympathy towards Bulgaria and its people.

According to The Times: "He was a private man, nervous, haunted by growing deafness, probably homosexual, but he became the close confidant of kings and ambassadors in their labyrinthine intrigues.

Today James Bourchier Boulevard is a busy street in Sofia with numerous administrative and office buildings on it.