Minister for Heritage Malcolm Noonan, TD officially launching the Dublin's Heritage Buildings Show in Merrion Square Park, Dublin, Saturday 11th June 2022

The Irish Georgian Society wishes to thank all those who made the Dublin’s Heritage Buildings Show in Merrion Square park on Saturday 11th & Sunday 12th June 2022 such a success.

We wish to thank our partners, Dublin City Council’s Conservation and Heritage Offices, in particular Charles Duggan, Heritage Officer and Niamh Kiernan and Mary McDonald, Architectural Conservation Officers, and Sarah Halpin and Mary-Liz McCarthy, Conservation Research Officers, as well as DCC’s Department of Parks and Biodiversity for hosting us in Merrion Square Park. The Dublin’s Heritage Buildings Show is an action of the Dublin City Strategic Heritage Plan, and was part-funded by the Heritage Council’s County Heritage Plan Grant Scheme.

The exhibition was formally launched at noon on Saturday by Minister Malcolm Noonan, TD, Minister of State for Heritage with Lord Mayor Dr Alison Gilliland, Councillor and IGS Vice President, Camilla McAleese.

Together they praised the highly skilled traditional building skills craftspeople who agreed to give over their weekend to demonstrate at the Dublin’s Heritage Buildings Show and promote the importance of using appropriate traditional methods and materials in the conservation of our built heritage.

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; brick making; decorative plasterwork; ironwork, slate roofing, gilding and wallpaper making.

Exhibitors included:
Glasshaus Studio https://www.glasshaus.ie
Smith & Henderson https://www.smithandhendersonstuccodoresltd.com
Stonemad https://www.igs.ie/conservation/register/entry/stonemad
George O'Malley Plastering https://www.omalleyplastering.com
Decowell https://www.decowell.co.uk
The Traditional Lime Company https://www.traditionallime.ie
The Old Builders Company https://www.oldbuilders.com
Maclyn Joinery https://www.conservationjoinery.com
Stoneware Studios & Conservation Technology https://www.stonewarestudios.com
Nolans Group https://nolansgroup.ie
David Skinner & Sons http://www.skinnerwallpaper.com
Crannog Roofing https://crannogroofing.ie
Ecological Building Systems https://www.ecologicalbuildingsystems.com
Conservation Technology https://www.conservationtech.ie
Forgecraft: artist blacksmiths https://www.forgecraft.ie
Dry Stone Wall Association of Ireland https://www.dswai.ie
Society for Protection of Ancient Buildings Ireland https://www.spab.org.uk/about-...

In addition to the traditional building skills demonstrations there were conservation and residential amenity information stands from:

Dublin City Council’s Architectural Conservation & Heritage Offices https://www.dublincity.ie/residential/planning/archaeology-conservation-heritage
Dublin Civic Trust http://www.dublincivictrust.ie;
Register of Heritage Contractors https://heritageregistration.ie
Upper Leeson Street Area Residents Association https://www.ulsara.ie
South Georgian Core Residents Association https://southgeorgiancore.ie
Irish Georgian Society

Thanks are due also the cultural institutions on the square who graciously opened their doors for tours:
Goethe-Insitut Irland https://www.goethe.de/ins/ie/e...
Irish Architectural Archive https://iarc.ie/
Irish Traditional Music Archive https://www.itma.ie/
National Gallery of Ireland https://www.nationalgallery.ie...
O’Connell House https://dublin.nd.edu/about/oc...
Oscar Wilde House https://oscarwildehouse.com/
Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland https://rsai.ie/

In tandem with the traditional buildings skills demonstrations and visits to cultural institutions on Merrion Square there were a series of walking tours focusing on the architecture, designed landscape and conservation of Merrion Square and its environs.

The Irish Georgian Society wishes to thank everyone who opened their doors and lead tours, in particular; James Howley, FRIAI; Kieran O'Brien, Director, Grafton Architects; Rob Goodbody, local historian, planner and conservationist; Jeffrey Jones, DCC gardener; Graham Hickey, Conservation Director, Dublin Civic Trust; Eamonn Kehoe, Director, Shaffrey Associate Architects; Kevin Blackwood & Alice Bentley, Kevin Blackwood Associate Architects; Aideen Ireland, Committee member, RSAI; Laura Conlon, Senior House Manager, Notre Dame; Seán Potts and Iarfhlaith Ó Dómhnaill, ITMA team members; Simon Lincoln, Exhibitions & Outreach Officer, IAA; Martin Burns, Creative Director, Oscar Wilde House.

Additionally, the Society would like to thank all those who delivered the series of architecture, conservation and designed landscape lectures on Sunday 12th June: Shona O'Keefe, Chairperson, SPAB Ireland; Shane Nolan, BLFI Committee Member; Colm Murray, Architecture Officer, The Heritage Council; James Howley, Howley Hayes Cooney Architects; and Damian Murphy, Architectural Heritage Officer, NIAH.

On Saturday 11th, for younger attendees to the Dublin's Heritage Buildings Show, there were Cruinniú na nÓg children’s workshops. This was a wonderful facet to the show and we greatly appreciate the time invested in preparing and delivering the workshops on stone carving by Philp Quinn of Stone Mad; wallpaper making by David Skinner of Skinner & Sons; fanlight making by Liam McCorkell of Glasshaus Studios; gilding and stencilling by Ruth Bothwell of Decowell; traditional joinery techniques by Sven Habermann of Letterfrack Conservation; and lime rendering by Edward Byrne of The Traditional Lime Company.

It was fantastic to see the high level of engagement and participation at these ancillary Dublin’s Heritage Buildings Show events, as well as the enthusiasm and appreciation of the public who visited the exhibition over the course of the weekend to receive free, accurate and impartial advice on traditional methods and materials needed to best conserve their Dublin heritage buildings.

The Dublin's Heritage Buildings Show represented a coming together of the conservation community: state; semi-state; non-governmental organizations; and independent conservation practitioners and professionals. Without all these stakeholders' generosity and support it would not be possible to deliver the exhibition and allied activities.

Critically, the last word of thanks goes to the Dublin's Heritage Buildings Show funder: The Heritage Council; the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage; Creative Ireland; the Upper Leeson Street Area Residents Association; and the South Georgian Core Residents Association.