2015 has been a year of highlights for the Irish Georgian Society!

In March, the Society co-sponsored a symposium to mark the wondrous Ireland: Crossroads of Art and Design 1690-1840 exhibition which was launched on St. Patrick’s Day at the Art Institute of Chicago, and ran to the end of June. The symposium included talks from a range of scholars from Ireland, the UK and the USA with author Stella Tillyard delivering the keynote address. 

In April, the Society organised a conference in Dublin Castle focusing on Art in the Country House, prompted by the aforementioned exhilarating Ireland: Crossroads of Art and Design 1690-1840 exhibition, and it was a delight to listen to Dr Christopher Monkhouse, its curator, provide a virtual tour of its treasures. Once the day’s talks had concluded, the catalogue of the exhibition was launched by the Society’s President Patrick Guinness. Since the conference, the Society has adopted a pragmatic policy - for the protection, promotion and preservations of collections and objects - that it believes enhances the cultural, historical or architectural value of the building or structure in which they exist. The interest in this conference suggests that there is greater awareness and appreciation of this valuable though endangered part of the country’s cultural heritage.

In June, for the first time, the joint Ulster Architectural Heritage Society and Irish Georgian Society summer school brought together students, enthusiasts and practitioners to explore, discuss and debate issues relating to our shared Irish heritage in the context of Armagh and Monaghan. Essential to the success of the event was the input of a voluntary committee led by Primrose Wilson, and of Summer School Director Kevin Mulligan along with Clare Price and Nicola McVeigh from the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society who invested a huge amount of time and energy. Sponsorship for the summer school was generously provided by Armagh City & District Council, the Department of Arts Heritage and Gaeltacht, the Heritage Council and Monaghan County Council.

In August of this year, we said goodbye to our Membership and Events Administrator Doreen McNamara, who retired after 27 years of service to the Society. We welcomed two new members of staff, Róisín Lambe as Membership and Events Administrator and Zoё Coleman as Development Administrator.

In August and September, we had eventful and busy stands at the RDS Horseshow and Antiques Fair where we recruited many new members. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all the volunteers that assisted at the show. We look forward to seeing both new members and volunteers at our welcome event in February.

The Society’s annual traditional building skills weekend, entitled Wicklow’s Heritage Buildings Show 2015, took place in September in the spectacular grounds of the OPW’s Glendalough Visitor Centre, with accompanying talks taking place in the adjacent Glendalough Hotel.  The event was a joint venture of the Irish Georgian Society, Wicklow County Council and the Office of Public Works, and supported by The Ireland Funds.

In September, the Irish Georgian Society hosted a poignant Patron’s Lunch in Glin Castle, Co. Limerick. The lunch was fantastic and the weather cleared up in time to enjoy a lovely tour of the gardens with Tom Wall, head gardener at Glin Castle.

In October, there were two successful international tours to the Trieste region led by Harriett Landseer and organised by IGF Board member, Rose Mary Craig. The five day tour visited many architectural sites and buildings including the Cathedral of San Giusto, Palazzo Revoltella and Palazzo Lantieri. We would like to extend a special thank you to Letitia Pollard and John O’Brien who assisted with the tours.

Other than the tours mentioned previously, the Irish Georgian Society organised our usual well attended tours and events. There were informative and interesting walking tours covering varied parts of Dublin: a Royal Canal walking tour with Peter Clarke, Dublin North city walking tours with Joseph Lynch, Dublin East walking tours with Arran Henderson and a Dun Laoghaire Pier walking tour with Rose Mary Craig; and a Twentieth-Century Architecture Tour that was organised by Charles Duggan, and led also by Dr Ellen Rowley and Donal Hickey.  There were excellent day trips to Meath and Carlow/Kildare organised by IGS Board members, Johnnie McCoy and Pat Murray respectively. The Meath trip visited Mountainstown House, Dardistown Castle and Tankardstown House. The Carlow and Kildare trip visited Coolcarrigan House, Lisnavagh House, Moone Abbey and Harristown House. Concluding the Summer Autumn 2015 programme was a very special tour, organised by Pat Murray, of the Provost’s House and a delicious lunch in Patrick Guilbaud’s restaurant. A special thank you is due to all our Irish Georgian Society chapters for their efforts in organising events.

In December, we hosted our annual Christmas Party at Rathfarnham Castle. It was an eventful night with Storm Desmond causing a relocation of the party in the castle’s tea rooms, regardless; a festive time was had by all. Also, on the night we announced our Desmond Guinness scholarship winner was Dr. Bláithín Hurley for her research into Daniel Maclise’s largely unpublished autobiography at the Royal Academy of Arts, London and his unpublished letters at the National Art Museum London. The Scholarship Prize was awarded to Myles McKenna for his research on the Wentworth papers in the British Library where he will focus on the period 1729 to 1754, the period in which William James Conolly made alterations to Castletown.

Also in December, we announced Sir David Davies as the new President of the Irish Georgian Society. Sir David succeeds Patrick Guinness who served in the position since 2012 and whose support and involvement was central to the Society’s move to its new headquarters in the City Assembly House.

The City Assembly House has become an established cultural base with a constant stream of visitors to the varied exhibitions and talks held during the year, lunchtime walking tours during the summer and our very popular – and busy – bookshop attracting regular buyers.  In 2016, we look forward to completing works to the building which will include the restoration of the Exhibition Room that will be named in memory of the late Knight of Glin. These Phase 2 works will be made possible through generous contributions from members and supporters of the Society and notably through significant grants from the Gilbert & Ildiko Butler Family Foundation, the Jerome L Greene Foundation, and The Ireland Funds. To mark the completion of the project we are planning a major exhibition to celebrate the Society of Artists in Ireland and the exhibitions they held in the Exhibition Room from 1766 to 1782.

The Irish Georgian Society’s plans for 2016 are exciting and, with a wealth of talks, tours and events lined up for the springtime, we encourage you to book early to avoid disappointment!