Education - Conservation Education | Irish Georgian Society

Scholarship & The Irish Georgian Society

The Irish Georgian Society supports and promotes scholarly research in the field of architecture and the decorative arts through its journal, 'Irish Architectural & Decorative Studies', and through the annual Desmond Guinness Scholarship, and John Maiben Gilmartin Award.

'Irish Architectural & Decorative Studies' the Journal of the Irish Georgian Society

'Irish Architectural and Decorative Studies', the annual journal of the Irish Georgian Society, has been published since 1998 and is the much-enhanced and expanded successor to the Bulletin of the Irish Georgian Society which was published from 1958 to 1997.
The IADS journal can be purchased via the Society's online shop and PDF articles from back issues are available to consult free of charge on our journal website.

The Desmond Guinness Scholarship

The Desmond Guinness Scholarship is awarded annually by the Irish Georgian Society to an applicant or applicants engaged in research on the visual arts of Ireland including the work of Irish architects, artists and craftsmen at home and abroad, 1600-1900. Preference is given to work based on original documentary research. The Scholarship is intended primarily for applicants who are not yet established at an advanced professional level in research or publication of the visual arts.

The Scholarship does not have to be awarded in any one year, and the decision of the assessors, appointed by the Irish Georgian Society, is final. The total value of the scholarship fund available for distribution is in the region of €2,000

The application form for the Desmond Guinness Scholarship 2025 is available here. Application deadline is 12 noon Thursday 20th November 2025.

Please note the following:
No additional information or any other accompanying material to the application form will be accepted.
All questions must be answered, and incomplete applications will not be considered. Late applications will not be accepted.
The Scholarship will not cover tuition fees.
A confidential reference supporting the application must be sent separately by email to emmeline.henderson@igs.ie by the closing date.

When completing the application form please be aware that the following criteria will be taken into account by the assessors.

a) Originality and merit of the proposal
b) Candidate's academic strengths
c) Potential of the project to contribute to scholarship
d) Budget & value for money

If you have any further queries about the Desmond Guinness Scholarship please contact: Emmeline Henderson (emmeline.henderson@igs.ie) or by phoning 01 679 8675.

The John Maiben Gilmartin Award

The John Maiben Gilmartin Award, named for and endowed by the noted art historian, is a prize granted annually by the Irish Georgian Society to support research in the history of Irish art, architecture and designed landscape, and of culture and society in Ireland of the long eighteenth century (broadly defined).

This award is open to post-doctoral researchers and early career scholars – that is, individuals who have been awarded their PhD degree within the previous seven years. Funds may be used to cover travel and accommodation costs for the purposes of research abroad or may be used to offset fees associated with academic publication, including for image rights and reproduction.

Students currently registered to post-graduate programmes are not eligible and are instead encouraged to apply for the Desmond Guinness Scholarship.

The assessor panel comprises: Dr Fintan Cullen, Professor Emeritus, School of Culture, Languages and Area Studies, University of Nottingham; Dr Conor Lucy, Associate Professor, School of Art History and Cultural Policy, University College Dublin; and Dr Finola O’Kane, Professor, School of Architecture, Planning & Environmental Policy, University College Dublin.

Award winners will be required to deliver a talk on the subject of their research to the Irish Georgian Society within 18 months of receipt of the award; and are encouraged to submit an article for consideration to Irish Architectural and Decorative Studies, the peer-reviewed journal of the IGS, or similar accredited publication, within 36 months. It is expected that the role of the award in supporting the research will be formally acknowledged by the recipient in due course.

The Scholarship does not have to be awarded in any one year, and the decision of the assessors, appointed by the Irish Georgian Society, is final. The total value of the award fund available for distribution is in the region of €5,000.

The application form for the John Maiben Gilmartin Award 2025 can be accessed here.
Application deadline is 12 noon Thursday 20th November 2025.

Please note the following terms:

No additional information or any other accompanying material will be accepted.
All questions on the application form must be answered. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Late applications will not be accepted.
Two confidential reference letters supporting the application (with subject heading ‘John Maiben Gilmartin Award Reference Letter’) should be sent via email to emmeline.henderson@igs.ie. Each reference must be sent directly from the reference provider’s own email address (not the applicant’s) and arrive by the closing date of the competition.
Canvasing of assessor panel will result in disqualification.
When completing the application form please be aware that the following criteria will be taken into account by the assessors.
a) Originality and merit of the proposal
b) Candidate's academic strengths
c) Potential of the project to contribute to scholarship
d) Budget & value for money

If you have any further queries about the award please contact:

Emmeline Henderson (emmeline.henderson@igs.ie) or by phoning 01 679 8675.

Past recipients of the Desmond Guinness Scholarship

2024: Ben Casey
2023: Victoria McCarthy
2022: Dee Maher Ring
2021: Jointly awarded to Deirdre Cullen and Siobhan Osgood
2020: Priscilla Sonnier (Award) & Nele Lüttmann (Prize)
2019: Cora McDonough (Award) & Dr Kathryn Milligan (Prize)
2018: Molly Claire Gillett
2017: Kristina Decker
2016: Aisling Durkan
2015: Bláithín Hurley
2014: Zara Power
2013: Caroline McGee
2012: Melanie Hayes
2010: Rosaleen Crushell (bursary)
2009: Niamh Nic Ghabhann
2008: Jessica Cunningham & Mairtin D'Alton
2007: El Marie Nagel
2006: Tony Hand
2005: Conor Lucey
2004: Alan Costello
2003: Anna Moran
2002: Frank Keohane
2001: Charles Duggan
2000: Aidan O'Boyle
1999: Alison Fitzgerald
1997: Sarah Foster
1996: Nessa Roche

Past Recipients of the John Maiben Gilmartin Award