06.10.2026, 18:00 P.M.
This is the
second talk in the Curating the Irish Country House 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.
Recruitment: Specialist Generalist (Curator), Russborough, County Wicklow by Pauline Swords, Head of Collections & Conservation at Russborough House, County Wicklow
Abstract: The successful candidate will deliver on all areas of museum practice while contributing to the management of a protected historic building, a historic landscape, visitor operations, facilities and maintenance, fundraising, capital projects, governance, and organisational strategy. Candidates with experience balancing the needs of a nationally significant collection, a Grade 1 protected site, a charitable mission, and a commercial operation, simultaneously, are preferred.
This talk reflects on the rewards and challenges of 'curating' a historic country house. Job titles such as ‘curator’ suggest a relatively straightforward responsibility for collections and conservation, the reality is considerably broader, and, arguably far more critical than it seems. Country houses resist neat professional boundaries. Decisions are rarely confined to a single discipline and often require the reconciliation of competing priorities, perspectives, and objectives.
Using projects, challenges, and opportunities encountered at Russborough as examples, the presentation explores a role defined by continuous learning, professional growth, and constant decision-making: weighing evidence, balancing risk, managing relationships between place, collections, and people, and bringing together expertise from across a wide range of disciplines. The curator's role is not simply to manage collections, but to act as an advocate for the historic place as a whole: identifying opportunities, challenging decisions, bringing together specialist expertise, and ensuring that change is a success, that will stand the test of time.
If the ideal candidate for the job does not exist, Russborough nevertheless requires someone willing to try.
Pauline Swords is Head of Collections & Conservation at Russborough House, County Wicklow. Since joining Russborough, she has led projects spanning collections management, building conservation, exhibitions, digitisation, environmental management and public engagement. Originally trained as an archivist, and having previously worked at the National Gallery of Ireland and the Abbey Theatre, her career has combined heritage, collections, and project management. A curatorial approach that recognises the inter connectedness between people, places, collections, and records, rather than isolated elements, is the cornerstone of her practice. She is particularly interested in the social and ethical dimensions of museums, and in creating diverse opportunities for all to positively engage with Russborough.
This one-hour talk takes place in person at 6pm on Tuesday 6th October 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: Russborough, County Wicklow. Image courtesy of the Alfred Beit Collection)
