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The vision of the Irish Georgian Society is to conserve, protect and foster a keen interest and a respect for Ireland’s architectural heritage and decorative arts. These aims are achieved through its scholarly and conservation education programmes, through its support of conservation projects and planning issues, and vitally, through its members and their activities.

Liberties and Edward Worth library walking tour

07.07.2016

Posted by IGS

The Liberties and Edward Worth library walking tour, led by Arran Henderson, started off at City Hall and proceeded to Castle Street taking in sites such as St. Werburgh's Church. The next stop was to look at an old facade of a church which is long gone known as St. Nicholas within. The date stone can of 1707 can be still seen.  The group continued on to Francis Street to look at the houses that were built by the Artisan Dwelling Company, Iveagh Markets and St. Francis Church. After this, the group moved to the 19th century complex of streets and squares around Gray Street and Reginald Street with houses built of the Artisan Dwelling Company and at its centre has an interesting a copper-domed canopy sheltering a Sacred Heart statue constructed in 1929. St James Gate was next and then onto St. James Street exploring its unique streetscape influenced through the 19th and 20th century by the Guinness brewery. The final stop before the Edward Worth library where Arran quoted Swift:

‘He gave the little Wealth he had,

To build a House for Fools and Mad:

And shew'd by one satyric Touch,

No Nation wanted it so much:

That Kingdom he hath left his Debtor,

I wish it soon may have a Better’

The tour concluded with the group enjoying an interesting talk by librarian Dr Elizabethanne Boran on the history of the collection and Edward Worth himself.