In an exciting collaboration and through essential support from its American members, the Irish Georgian Society is working with the Sirius Arts Centre in restoring the former clubhouse of the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Cobh with the goal of reinstating significant lost architectural elements and revitalising and enhancing its role as a vibrant centre of cultural activity. Click here to learn more.

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Offaly’s Built Heritage Show: traditional building skills demonstrations, conservation talks & children's craft workshops takes place in Ireland's finest Georgian town, Birr, County Offaly on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th June.

The event is presented by the Irish Georgian Society and its Birr Chapter in partnership with Offaly County Council, and with funding from The Heritage Council's Heritage Stewardship Grants Scheme, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and Creative Ireland.

For one weekend the Georgian town of Birr will become a one-stop destination for owners in need of accurate, impartial, and free advice on caring and repairing for their old building. The exhibition is of particular relevance to those living in Protected Structure or buildings within Architectural Conservation Areas, however attendance will also benefit owners of all traditionally built buildings, including vernacular structures.

Demonstrations will be delivered by the conservation experts with the opportunity to see over two dozen craftspeople actively demonstrate key traditional building skills needed for the conservation of old buildings including: sash window repairs, stained glass & fanlight conservation, stone carving, dry stonewall construction, use of lime-based mortars and hemp; brick pointing, decorative plasterwork; ironwork, slate roofing, thatching, gilding, sign writing and wallpaper making, to name a few.

In tandem with the demonstrations there will be free hourly conservation talks delivered by the acknowledged authorities in the Birr Theatre & Arts Centre. For the full programme of talks click here.

All demonstrations and talks are free of charge & no advanced booking required.

Additionally on Saturday 15th June as part of Cruinniú na nÓg children’s festival of youth, there will be a series of six children's craft workshops. The children's craft workshops are free of charge but advanced booking through eventbrite is recommended.

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The John Maiben Gilmartin Award, named for and endowed by the noted art historian, is a new 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. https://www.igs.ie/education/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 closing date for applications is noon, Thursday 2nd May 2024. Applicants will be advised of the outcome of the competition by Thursday 30th May 2024. The winner of the award will normally be announced at the IGS Summer Party in June.

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.

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

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

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Caption: Desmond Guinness Scholarship adjudicator, Dr Conor Lucey presenting the Desmond Guinness Scholarship 2023 to Victoria McCarthy at the Irish Georgian Society’s Christmas party in Ely House.

Victoria McCarthy is a third year PhD candidate at the School of Architecture, UCD, under the supervision of Professor Finola O’Kane. Victoria’s doctoral research straddles the disciplines of designed landscape history and planning and uses the county of Kerry as a case study to explore the question of how the significance of Ireland’s designed landscapes are assessed, valued and managed.

Victoria applied for the Desmond Guinness Scholarship to undertake archival research in the Public Records Office Northern Ireland (PRONI). Whilst at PRONI, Victoria intends to consult the FitzGerald papers relating to the designed landscapes of Glanleam on Valentia Island, former home of the Fitzgerald’s, Knights of Kerry, as well as other Kerry-related papers (Crosbie, Kenmare, and Ward).

The Society welcomes the decision of the Desmond Guiness Scholarship adjudicators and acknowledges the relevance of this year’s candidate’s research to the Society’s work in promoting and protecting Ireland’s architecture and designed landscapes.

Lastly, the Society wishes to thank the Desmond Guinness Scholarship adjudicators (Christine Casey, Kathleen James Chakraborty, Alison FitzGerald, David Fleming, Conor Lucey, Anna Moran and Primrose Wilson) for lending their expertise, which ensures that the scholarship continues to be held in high academic regard.

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Caption: Celebrating Desmond Guinness convenor, Robert O'Byrne with speaker Jerry Hall.

Celebrating Desmond Guinness, Dublin Castle, Wednesday 1st November 2023.
Family, friends, and supporters gathered in Dublin Castle to celebrate and commemorate Desmond Guinness’s legacy in promoting and protecting Ireland’s architecture and allied arts.Celebrating Desmond Guinness was delivered by the Irish Georgian Society, in partnership with the Guinness family and the Office of Public Works, and with the support of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, The Heritage Council and Ecclesiastical Insurance.

Inspiring papers were delivered on themes that explored Desmond’s work in advocating for the protection of the Irish country house; campaigning to save Georgian Dublin; fostering research and publications on Ireland’s architecture and decorative arts; and his work overseas as an unofficial ambassador for Ireland’s cultural heritage, where he raised vital funds and forged relationships with benefactors in the UK and USA, which continue to this day through the Irish Georgian Society, which he co-founded with his first wife, Mariga Guinness.

The Society wishes to thank all the speakers and chairs for sharing their memories of and tributes to Desmond, as well as their knowledge and expertise of the Irish Georgian architecture and allied arts, which Desmond fought to save. The day was a fitting homage to Desmond’s herculean endeavours and achievements and captured and reflected the wit and dynamism, magnetism and aplomb with which he accomplished them.

Sir David Davies, President, Irish Georgian Society opening the Celebrating Desmond Guinness.

Rosemary Collier, Head of Heritage & Capital Works Delivery, Asst. Secretary General, OPW welcoming delegates to Dublin Castle.

Dr Edward McParland, (Chair), MRIA, Fellow emeritus of Trinity College Dublin chairing the morning session.

Sir Humphry Wakefield Bt., Friend of Hon Desmond Guinness delivering his paper, Fleeting Glimpses of a Shining Dragonfly: A Life of Constructive Achievement from Childhood, Oxford, Ireland and America.

Dr Erika Hanna, Assoc. Professor, Modern History, University of Bristol delivering her paper, Desmond Guinness, the Irish Georgian Society and the Preservation of Georgian Dublin, 1957-1972.

Dr Conor Lucey (Chair of the afternoon session), Assoc. Professor, School of Art History and Cultural Policy, UCD, member of the board of the Castletown Foundation and the Irish Georgian Society delivering the paper Bulletin, Journal and Prize: a Legacy in Scholarship by Dr Christine Casey, Professor, Architectural History, Trinity College Dublin and Castletown foundation board member.

Mary Heffernan, Director of National Monuments, OPW chairing the second morning session.

Máirtín D’Alton, Architect, Heritage Services - Conservation, OPW delivering his presentation entitled The Legacy of Desmond Guinness: Recent Works Uncover the Building History of Damer House which included a slide showing him at a reception where he was awarded the Desmond Guinness Scholarship by the Hon. Desmond Guinness.

Christopher Moore, former Irish Georgian Society and Castletown Foundation board member and Chair of the latter, 2013 -2018 delivering his paper, Castletown & Doneraile: from the brink, which included previously unseen images from the Guinness family's private photographic albums.

Desmond's friend, the cultural icon, Jerry Hall treating us to extracts from his Leixlip diaries.

Dr John Goodall, Architectural Editor of Country Life Magazine delivering his paper, Country Life and the Irish Country House.

Jeremy G.D. Musson, LLB (Hons), MPhil, FSA deliver his paper entitled, ‘Through Desmond’s Eyes:’ Architectural History and Heritage Advocacy for a World Audience, which contained many personal reminiscences about his times spent with Desmond at Leixlip Castle and other Irish historic houses.

Donough Cahill, Executive Director, Irish Georgian Society chairing the afternoon session where he took the opportunity to thank all members of the Irish Georgian Society for their continuing support of the society which Desmond founded in 1958, while encouraging those not yet members to join today!

Dr Ciarán Reilly, Asst. Director, Centre for the Study of Historic Irish Houses & Estates, Maynooth University delivering his paper, ‘The Demesne Walls are Coming Down’ Figuratively Speaking: Opening Up the Country House, 1958-1978'.

Marion Cashman, former IGS board member and editor of The Irish Georgian Society: A Celebration (2008), sharing her paper, Memories of Desmond Guinness: 50 Years Campaigning for the Conservation of Ireland’s Architectural Heritage, which provided a wonderful account that spanned her first encounters with Desmond and the Society volunteering at Castletown in the 1970s through to her and her husband Adrian Masterson's work in commissioning the film, 'Saving Our Heritage, The Irish Georgian Society' which included in depth interviews with Desmond.

Robert O’Byrne, former IGS Vice-President and author of The Irish Georgian Society: A Celebration (2008) sharing his paper, Desmond Guinness in America.

Patrick Guinness, son of Desmond Guinness, former President of the Irish Georgian Society making the concluding remarks and thanking all gathered for their participation.

Robert O'Byrne, convenor of Celebrating Desmond Guinness addressing the audience of family, friends and supporters gathered in Dublin Castle

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The Hon. Desmond Guinness (1931-2020)

The Desmond Guinness Scholarship is awarded annually by the Irish Georgian Society to an applicant or applicants engaged in research on the visual arts and material culture of Ireland including the work of Irish architects, artists and craftsmen at home and abroad, 1600-1940. Preference will be given to work based on original documentary research. The Scholarship is intended for students who are currently enrolled for a postgraduate research degree either at MA/MPhil or PhD level.

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 award will be made before the end of December 2023.

Deadline for applications is 12 noon on Thursday 23rd November 2023.

Please note the following:

• Applications must be made online through this form: https://bit.ly/DGscholarship23
• No additional information or any other accompanying material 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.
• The following criteria will be taken into consideration when assessing the applications:
  a) Originality and merit of the proposal
  b) Candidates’ academic strengths
  c) Potential of the project to contribute to scholarship
  d) Budget & value for money
• A confidential reference supporting the applicant (with subject heading 'Desmond Guinness Scholarship 2023 Reference) should be sent via email to emmeline.henderson@igs.ie. This emailed reference must be received directly from the reference provider's own email address (not the applicant's) and arrive by the closing date.

Online application form can be found here

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

Emmeline Henderson (emmeline.henderson@igs.ie) or by phoning 01 679 8675 and selecting extension number for Conservation Education.

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