Michael Wall, Chairman IGF and Donough Cahill, Executive Director IGF with Molly Claire Gillett (Montreal) and Logan Morse (Sussex).

The 2018 Desmond Guinness Scholarship was awarded to Molly-Claire Gillett for her study of the collection of the 19th century lace designer Emily Anderson. Logan Morse's study on Irish landscape painter George Barret Sr. (1730–1784) was also acknowledged, and she was awarded the Desmond Guinness Prize.

The Scholarship and Prize were presented to Ms. Gillett and Ms. Morse by Primrose Wilson OBE on Saturday 8 December, at IGS' annual members' Christmas Party, held at the Irish Georgian Society's headquarters in the City Assembly House.

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Images: The O'Brien column, Lisacannor, Co. Clare (read more) & thatched cottage in Lenankeel, Co. Donegal (read more). Both conservation projects were supported through funding from the Irish Georgian Society and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaelteacht.

Financial Assistance for Architectural Heritage

Financial assistance is provided to assist with the conservation and restoration of heritage properties through schemes which are generally administered by the local authorities.

In the context of a particular building, especially one on the Record of Protected Structures, the best advice for the owner may be to contact the Architectural Conservation Officer in the Local Authority. They will be able to advise on the various types of funding available to assist with the building.

Built Heritage Investment Scheme and Historic Structures Fund 2019

On 28th November 2018, Minister Madigan announced that the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and the Historic Structures Fund (formerly the Structures at Risk Fund) will operate again in 2019 with total funding of up to €4.3 million.

Full details and application forms for 2019 are available on local authority websites. Any enquiries about funding under these schemes must be directed to the relevant local authority (the Architectural Conservation Officer or other person in the local authority dealing with the schemes).

The Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2019 (BHIS) is for the repair and conservation of structures that are protected under the Planning and Development Acts. This Scheme aims to support a significant number of labour-intensive, small-scale conservation projects across the country and to support the employment of skilled and experienced conservation professionals, craftspeople and tradespersons in the repair of the historic built environment. Details and application forms etc. will be available from each local authority shortly. The allocation for 2019 is up to €2.5 million.

• Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2019 Circular
• Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2019 Public Information Leaflet [To be provided]

The Historic Structures Fund 2019 (HSF) (formerly the Structures at Risk Fund) is for conservation works to heritage structures, in both private and public ownership.

The primary focus of the Historic Structures Fund is on conservation and enhancement of historic structures and buildings for the benefit of communities and the public.

The fund is generally administered through the local authorities. Details and application forms etc. will be available from each local authority shortly. The allocation for 2019 is up to €1.8 million.

• Historic Structures Fund 2019 Circular

Please note: All information above is taken from the website of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaelteacht (link), this scheme is not administered by the IGS.

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The Irish Georgian Society has called for significantly increased public support for building conservation projects on the fifth anniversary of its own conservation grants scheme.

To mark this anniversary, the Irish Georgian Society, in association with the Heritage Council, held a conference in November titled Taken for Granted: spending to save Ireland's architectural heritage. This highlighted the excellent conservation work undertaken in recent years by owners, trusts and guardians of traditionally built buildings using grants from the Irish Georgian Society as well as funding from the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) and Heritage Council.

An Irish Georgian Society report on the BHIS (download here) was also presented at the conference which, the Society noted, identified significant and unexplained disparities in the size of grant allocations offered to different counties. It also highlighted a reduction in funding for the BHIS from €3.5 million to €2 million between 2017 to 2018. A recent announcement indicates a marginal increase to €2.5 million for 2019 which falls far short of requirements.

At the end of the conference a resolution was agreed which called for
(i) a meaningful increase in government funding for conservation grants
(ii) greater flexibility in timelines for the completion of projects
(iii) the need to provide support for the retention of skilled craftsmen that are vital to undertake conservation work. The full text of the resolution is attached.

The Irish Georgian Society has also announced details of 13 building conservation projects it supported this year which together received just under €50,000 in grants. These include a late seventeenth-century bridge, several churches, a medieval cathedral and various houses ranging from the modest to some of Ireland’s most architecturally important and historic houses. These grants supported essential structural repairs as well as the conservation of architectural features in need of urgent repair. The recipients include private owners, built heritage charities and local community groups. Further details of grant aided projects are attached.

ENDS

Contact: Donough Cahill, Executive Director, Irish Georgian Society
T. 01 6798675
E. dcahill@igs.ie

Image: Saunderscourt Gate Lodges, Co. Wexford

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The Irish Georgian Society offices will close on Friday 21 December at 2.00pm, and will reopen on Tuesday 2 January, resuming normal office hours of 9.30am to 5.00pm.

The IGS bookshop will open on Sundays for the month of December, and will remain open until 6.00pm on Sunday 23 December.

The bookshop will close for the Christmas break, reopening at 10.00am on Saturday 29 December. You can collect purchases from the bookshop until 6.00pm on 23 December.

(Photo: Nicola Woods)

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Our 2018 Christmas card design features an illustration of Conolly's Folly, Castletown, Co. Kildare, by Silvie Cahill, with 'Merry Christmas' seasonal greeting on the front, and a festive wreath on the reverse.

A pack of five cards with red envelopes costs €10.

Card is blank inside for your own message.

All proceeds support the Irish Georgian Society's education programmes.

Buy online from shop.igs.ie or instore at the City Assembly House.

Remember the final postal dates for Christmas!

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Dublin Civic Trust is pleased to announce details of its winter 2018 conference focusing on the history, development and future potential of Parnell Square and the Rotunda Hospital complex. The event takes place in the magnificent 18th-century setting of the little-known Pillar Room of the Rotunda Hospital, located beneath The Gate Theatre.

Sited at the northern end of O’Connell Street, Parnell Square is Dublin’s first Georgian square, developed c.1755-1795 as a series of residential terraces enclosing the grounds of the Rotunda Hospital. The square has its origins in the establishment, in 1749, of the New Pleasure Gardens, the fundraising enterprise of the Rotunda Hospital’s founder Dr Bartholomew Mosse, who attracted aristocratic patronage through annual subscriptions and concert events. The maternity hospital opened in 1757, built to the design of leading architect Richard Castle. This was followed by the construction of the great Rotunda entertaining room in the 1760s and the establishment of the New Assembly Rooms designed by Frederick Trench and Richard Johnston in the 1780s: the latter now forming part of The Gate Theatre. The mansions surrounding the square contain some of the best examples of 18th-century interiors and decorative plasterwork in the city, complemented by modern cultural institutions including the Dublin City Gallery - The Hugh Lane. Within this historic setting, the Rotunda Hospital continues to operate its original function as a leading provider of maternity services, with various plans afoot to expand facilities or move to an alternative site in the longer term.

Ticket: €75
Ticket with CPD Certificate: €100
Ticket Student/Senior Citizen: €40 (proof required on the day)

Purchase tickets and download a conference programme from www.dublincivictrust.ie

Image: Rutland (Parnell) Square extracted from 'Dublin from the Spire of Saint George's Church' by James Mahony, 1854

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