User:Mcalisdg/bv sandbox

= Bernardo Valois = Bernard Walsh, or Bernardo Valois (1663-1727) was born in 1663 into a family of well to do merchants in Waterford, Ireland.

Two of his older brothers actually chose to establish themselves in the Canaries. Bernard was invited by his brother Patrick to join him in his wine exporting and shipping company based in Puerto de la Orotava, the old name for Puerto de la Cruz. His other brother, Nicholas, settled in Las Palmas. When he arrived he was only twenty-one but quickly learnt his trade by representing his brother on numerous trips to Europe. In fact it wasn’t long before Bernard founded his own flourishing business in Puerto and made an immense fortune from which his descendants still reap benefits today.