Through providing tax incentives for conservation works to buildings of significant architectural merit, Section 482 plays an important role in ensuring the protection of our built heritage and in facilitating public access to properties participating in the scheme. In doing so, it enables owners to fulfil obligations to protect their properties, constitutes a sustainable and cost effective means of public support for our heritage, and provides an important tourism and amenity resource. 

A review of the scheme is currently underway by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, and the Department of Finance. In its submission, the Irish Georgian Society emphasised the benefits of the scheme and proposed means by which it could be enhanced. This paper together with those of others is available through www.ahrrga.gov.ie

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The Irish Georgian Society's online shop has recently moved to a new online retail platform to make the shopping experience more convenient for our customers! To celebrate the occasion we will be including a surprise gift with all online purchases made throughout the month of August.

The shop accepts payment by credit card (Mastercard and Visa) and through Stripe.

If you have any feedback on the new online shop, get in touch by email: shop@igs.ie 

Visit the new look website at shop.igs.ie

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FAO. Mr. David Healy,

Limerick City & County Council,

Merchants Quay,

Limerick

LUCROC@arup.co

 

26.06.2017

 

Re: Submission on Limerick City and County Councils preferred option for O'Connell Street - Limerick Urban Centre Revitalisation, as tabled at public consultation June 2017.

Dear Mr. Healy,

The Limerick Chapter of the Irish Georgian Society wish to make the following comments following the public consultation on Limerick City and County Councils preferred option for O'Connell Street - Limerick Urban Centre Revitalisation.

O’Connell Street in Limerick is one of the great Georgian Streets of Europe. However it’s current status as a through traffic thoroughfare in the city centre has made it an unpleasant and unsafe place for pedestrian users. Heavy vehicular traffic is also putting undue pressure on the significant historic fabric of street both above and below ground. While we acknowledge that efforts have been made to reduce traffic and prioritise the pedestrian in the current option tabled by Limerick City and County Council, we submit that your proposals do not go far enough.

In order for O’Connell Street and the surrounding streets of Newtown Pery to be transformed into a place where people would like to live, visit, shop and work, a more radical approach is required with regards the traffic and pedestrian management of the city centre. Therefore we are calling on Limerick City and County Council to review the proposal, taking into account our comments as follows:

• Prepare a Traffic and Pedestrian Management Plan for the city centre, which would prioritise the movement of pedestrians and cyclists over cars and buses.
• Remove through traffic from O’Connell Street, allowing only local access for cars, timed deliveries, emergency vehicles etc.
• Reconsider the use of one way traffic systems, which are proven to promote faster speeds. The use of two lanes of one way traffic has long proven to be unsuccessful on O’Connell Street, where traffic dominates the street making is unsafe for use by pedestrians.
• It is imperative that best conservation practice is used in order to protect the historic fabric both above and below ground.
• The historic railings, steps, kerbs, coal covers etc., must be protected and conserved.
• The cellars must be retained as a significant historic feature of the street. Eliminating heavy traffic and reducing overall traffic considerably would involve less structural interventions to the brick vaults.
• The Crescent is a natural public space. We urge Limerick City and County Council to reconsider the design of this space for the citizens of Limerick City. Parking should not be retained on the Crescent and while some vehicular access may need to be retained, it should be kept to a minimum with traffic speeds reduced to 10-20km per hour.
• We are not calling for full pedestrianisation, however we believe that in order to achieve your own key objective of pedestrian priority, the proposal must take a more radical approach to the reduction of traffic on O’Connell Street and within Newtown Pery as a whole.

We have had ongoing discussions with the #LiveableLimerick group in relation to the project as it has developed, and we wish to support the submission made by the group.

On behalf of the Limerick Chapter of the Irish Georgian Society Committee,

Yours sincerely,

Ailish Drake, B. Arch Sc., MA, MRIAI

Limerick Chapter Chair

 

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Works are underway in Beaulieu, Co. Louth, to repair the roof of a classical garden pavilion situated at the entrance to one of Ireland’s finest walled gardens. The pavilion comprises a much-altered Doric portico, dating to the Georgian period, that is attached to a later Edwardian south-facing glasshouse. Inside the glasshouse is a large full-height recess formed as a grotto that surrounds an artificial well with rustic stonework characteristic of classical grottoes.

Current repairs are focussed on the roof which will secure the building and allow breathing space to plan for future works to the portico and glazing. The project is being supported through grants from the Irish Georgian Society’s US chapters, the Built Heritage Investment Scheme, and The Heritage Council.

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Picnic Tour of County Meath - Saturday 8 July, 2017

Members started the day with a visit to Larchill Arcadian Gardens which has a beautiful designed landscape with ten follies and a Ferme Orneé which was developed by a haberdasher called Richard Prentice in the late eighteenth century. The group proceeded to Agher Church to see the the painted stained glass window by Thomas Jervais which once adorned the family chapel in Dangan Castle. This window was restored with the assistance of the Irish Georgian Society. Next on the tour, a grotto part of the estate of Summerhill House where the group met a local hermit. Then the group visited Dangan Obelisk, part of the ruined Dangan Castle estate which was own by the Wesley or Wellesley family. The obelisk was restored by Christopher Gray,  R. Daly (owner), Meath County Council and a grant from the Irish Georgian Society. Next, members were treated to a lovely lunch at Higginsbrook House provided by the Gray family. After lunch, the group visted the ruins of Trimblestown Castle and roamed the estates graveyard and chapel which was recently re-roofed by a local group. St. Mary's Abbey was next which is a house built next to the yellow steeple in Trim. Part of the monastery was converted to a house in 1415 by Sir John Talbot and changed owners most notable of which was Esther Johnson, better known as Stella who sold it to Jonathan Swift. It was later used as a school, its most famous scholar was Arthur Wesley, later the Duke of Wellington. 

 

  

 

 

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Scaffolding has been erected in the great octagonal Exhibition Room following the completion of works to soundproof the floor from what will be a commercial space below. This will provide access to the roof-light which requires replacement and will also facilitate works to the ceiling and walls of the room. The first big change is the removal of the enormous 1950s two tiered chandelier with its twelve large glass lightshades. This chandelier is for sale with proceeds going to support conservation. Get in touch if you know of a buyer!

This project is supported by The Gilbert and Ildiko Butler Foundation and the following supporters:

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