20.10.2026, 18:00 P.M.
This is the fourth talk in the Curating the Irish Country House 2026 autumn talks programme. The talks
programme provides considerations of presentation and preservation of the Irish
country house in the 21st century from public and private perspectives from both
curators and custodians.
Beyond the Rope Barrier: Rethinking the Irish Country House for Contemporary Audiences by Dr Emma O’Toole, Collections & Interpretation Manager, The Irish Heritage Trust.
Dr Emma O’Toole’s talk will explore the presentation and preservation of the Irish Country House through the lens of moving beyond traditional modes of display to create meaningful connections between people and the country house in the twenty-first century. Drawing on two historic houses managed and cared for by The Irish Heritage Trust, Fota House and Strokestown Park House, it will highlight the challenges that are often faced in balancing preservation, authenticity, and public engagement within historic domestic settings.
Dr Emma O’Toole is the Collections and Interpretation Manager at The Irish Heritage Trust where she is responsible for the care, conservation, and interpretation of the collections held at Fota House & Gardens, Strokestown Park & the National Famine Museum, Johnstown Castle & the Irish Agricultural Museum, and No. 11 Parnell Square. In 2018 she obtained a PhD from the National College of Art & Design Dublin for her research on the social and material history of maternity and infancy in eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Ireland.
This one-hour talk takes place in person at 6pm on Tuesday 20th October 2026 in the City Assembly House, 58 South William Street, Dublin 2, as well as live online.
Subscribers will be able to attend the talk in person at the IGS's City Assembly House or online live through Zoom. Additionally, all talk subscribers will receive a recording of the talk which can be watched for a two-week period after the date of issue. Please note that after the two week period the talk link will expire and cannot be reissued.
There will be a Q&A at the end of the talk. Those watching the talk live online can submit their questions through the Zoom Q&A function.
It is possible to book talks individually (€15 each) or book for the whole course for a discounted rate (€120).
The Society would like to acknowledge the generous support of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage's National Built Heritage Services of the Society's Conservation Education Programme of which Curating the Irish County House talks are an action. Additionally the Society wishes to thank The Heritage Council for their wider support of the Society's work through its Heritage Organisation Support Fund 2026.
(Image: Strokestown House, County Roscommon and Fota House, County Cork. Images courtesy of the Irish Heritage Trust)
