The University Club was the setting for the New York Irish Georgian Society Gala Dinner held on 11th October. Beth Dater, President of the American Board and members of the Board hosted a very lively dinner party and fundraiser for the Society. The party was attended by over 100 guests invited to meet Sir David Davies, the President of the Society and Mr. William Laffan, Art Historian and Curator. They spoke on the topic: Exploring the Architectural History and Landscape of Abbey Leix, An Illustrated Lecture. 

John Rosselli and Susan Burke

Michael Kerrigan with Jane and Tom Kearns

Skip Auch, Lynne Auch, Paul Keeler

Bob Callahan, Sharon Callahan, Elaine True, Stephen True

Christina McInerney, David Cummins

Kevin McLaughlan, Jean McLaughlan

Jamie Kearns and Melinda Kearns

Philip Jelley, William Younger

Austin Mill, Peter Lyden

Donough Cahill, Beth Dater and Bill Constantine

Jean Hutar and Brendan Hynes

Dan and Ellen Strickler

Robert O'Byrne and Pauline Metcalf

Liz, Elizabeth and Paul Farrell

Bunny Williams, John Rosselli

John Rosselli, Austin Mill

William and Kaitlin Gamerill

Sir David Davies, Katherine Bryan, Michael Kerrigan

Ivena Lowell and Austin Wilkie

Donough Cahill, Delia Roche-Kelly, Curtis Sloane

Norman and Alicia Polk, Robert O'Byrne

Jill and David Donoghue

John Loeb, Mary Curley

Jolynn Moran, Suzy Moran

Susan Wood Richardson and Joan McGovern

Robert O'Byrne and Donough Cahill

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On 13th October, The Casino in Chicago was the elegant setting for the second Irish Georgian Society Gala Dinner. Long time Chicago Committee member and former American Board Member Rosie O'Neill, was honoured for her support of the Society over the last forty plus years and was presented with the Society of Artists medal in recognition of all that she has done promoting the work of the Society. Over 150 people attended this dinner to honour Ms. O'Neill  and to meet with Sir David Davies and Mr. William Laffan. A most enjoyable post party was held afterwards in the Red Room of The Casino, hosted by Chicago Committee member, Cheri Lawrence.

Cheri Lawrence, Ferdia Doherty, William Laffan and Nora Gaynor

Rosie O'Neill and friends

Ashley Read and Nicholas Michael

Jack and Peggy Crowe

Fred Krehbiel, Maribeth Heeran, Sir David Davies and Michael Kerrigan

Robert O'Byrne, Pat O'Brien and Donough Cahill

Lyssa Piette, Dottie Pattishall and Cynthia Espy

Francis Atkins and friend, Joe Gromacki and Austin Sullivan

Sue Connor, Mrs. McGuire and Carol O'Brien

Peggy Carr and Leslie Fitzpatrick

Ed Weed, Lyssa Piette and American Board Member Tom Tormey

Libby and David Horn and Sarah Crane

Lyssa Piette and Turtle Bunbury

Marty and Austin Sullivan

Mary Hartigan and Lawrie Weed

Marian Brady, Ferdia Doherty and Daphne Dolan

Michael Kelly and Colleen Frasure

Peggy Murphy and Tom O'Gorman

Katrina Groh and Joe Gromacki

 
Jim Kinney, Liza Ytema, Jetta Bochen, Brian White

Dan and Dolores Casey, Nora Gaynor and Ferdia Doherty

Michael Kerrigan and friends

Patsy Magner, Brian White, Maribeth Heeran, Chicago Chapter Head

Ryan Hickey and Peter Mark

John O'Brien with his sister and daughter Carmel

Tom Cashman, Dan and Dolores Casey

Gerry Magner and Roger Griffin

Cady and Phillip Liederbach

Marty Fahey, Leslie Fitzpatrick and Joe Gromacki

Pat O'Brien, Donough Cahill and Carmel O'Brien

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As the time of the Irish Georgian Society Review going to press, news comes of the death of Professor Anne Crookshank (1927–2016) pioneering scholar of Irish art, and member of the Irish Georgian Society for more than fifty years. After positions at the Tate and the Witt Library – and research on the drawings of George Romney – Anne returned to Ireland in 1957 when she took up position as Keeper of Art in the Belfast Museum and Art Gallery, later the Ulster Museum, whose collection she was to transform with adventurous acquisitions of contemporary art including works by Antoni Tàpies, Sam Francis, William Scott and Karel Appel. Taste for such advanced art was not widespread in Northern Ireland of the 1950s and she gleefully recalled being denounced as the ‘Whore of Babylon’ at a meeting of Belfast City Council. 

The year after her arrival in Belfast, on a weekend in Donegal Anne met Desmond and Mariga Guinness who had just founded the Irish Georgian Society and, through them, Desmond FitzGerald, Knight of Glin. The first collaboration of this group (with James White of the National Gallery of Ireland) was the exhibition Irish Houses and Landscapes in 1963. Two years later Anne moved to Dublin to set up the History of Art Department at Trinity College. A further seminal exhibition Irish Portraits 1660-1860, which showed at the National Portrait Gallery in London in 1970, set the tone for her researches on artists such as James Latham whose oeuvre of more than one hundred portraits she reconstructed from the starting point of just one mezzotint inscribed with his name. Through the 1970s she and Knight collaborated on the first scholarly book on Irish art since Strickland’s Dictionary of 1913, which was published in 1978 with a completely new edition in 2002.

For many years a stalwart of the Castletown Foundation, in 1985 Anne was elected a member of the Royal Irish Academy. Throughout Anne taught at Trinity, in whose Common Room she was a formidable presence, educating several generations of art historians. She was certainly a demanding taskmaster, but was unfailingly kind to students she thought interested in the subject.  Her collaboration with the Knight, which set Irish art history on a firm footing for the first time, was characterized by furious rows over attributions. He later recalled: ‘These lively interchanges brought out the determined sparkle of her resolute character, and her ability to roar with laughter ten minutes later underlined her generous humour and refreshing ability to laugh at herself. She always inspired her students with a zest for life – a zest that conquers every obstacle’.

 I recall, many years ago, discussing with Anne the hymns she wanted sung at her funeral (this was a very Anne Crookshank sort of topic). Foremost amongst these was Abide with Me, or, as she put it, 'the one they sing at football matches’. Her memory will certainly abide with the numerous individuals who were taught, befriended or influenced by her. She was a great and very generous scholar, an unshakably loyal friend and a redoubtable Irish woman. May she rest in peace.

William Laffan

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Although we have to wait and see the detail on the reformed 'Living Cities Initiative', here are the initial thoughts of the Limerick Chapter on the 2017 Budget announcement, as it relates to the Georgian architecture of Limerick City. 

First, the expansion of the scheme to include landlords will broaden the demographic to which the scheme can ultimately benefit. Secondly, the elimination of the maximum floor area restriction is very welcome, as many of the townhouses in Newtown Pery were excluded from the original scheme for this reason.

The removal of the requirement for properties to have a former residential use is especially welcome in Limerick where we have a wide variety of building types, including mills and warehouses, which could be converted into attractive living spaces. A working Living Cities Initiative, alongside significant improvements to Limerick's public realm, traffic and amenity spaces would go along way towards revitalising Newtown Pery.

Some of the comments of the Limerick Chapter were quoted in the Limerick Leader last Saturday, 15th October.

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The Main Guard, Clonmel: Rediscovery, restoration and the recovery of a town centre

Margaret Quinlan is an architect with a special interest in historic buildings and their conservation. Born and reared in Clonmel, her research into the Main Guard in 1990 led to the rediscovery of the Palatinate courthouse which was subsequently declared a national monument. It was restored by the OPW under her direction and won the 2004 Conservation Award. In 2011, Margaret was awarded the RIAI Triennial Medal for Conservation and Restoration for the project.  

The Palatinate courthouse in Clonmel, now known as the Main Guard, was commissioned by James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond. Built in 1675, it was radically altered and absorbed into early 19th century urban redevelopment. By the 1980‘s, it was empty and endangered. The lecture is the illustrated story of its rediscovery and restoration in the heart of the old town.

Thursday 10th November, 8.00pm
No. 1 Pery Square Hotel, Georgian Quarter, Limerick
Tickets €5 (students free) 
RIAI Structured CPD - 1 point

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The Irish Landmark Trust was awarded a grant from IGS of €5,000 under the 2015 Conservation Grants Scheme, towards the cost of re-thatching The Mall, an important property located just outside Mitchelstown in County Cork.  The Mall is a good example of the vernacular farm cottage once typical of the South of Ireland but now disappearing.  Once one of three thatched dwellings facing the road now only two remain, with The Mall the only dwelling still to retain its thatched roof.  Originally a two roomed labourers cottage with a loft, it was later extended as the house became linked to a small farm although internally it has altered little since its construction in the early 19th century.
 
The grant awarded by IGS was extremely important as it allowed Irish Landmark the leverage to apply for additional funding from Cork County Council to help with the cost of re-thatching.  Without the IGS grant, it would not have been possible for Irish Landmark to apply to the county council.  When re-thatching began in June, the condition of the existing thatch was found to be so poor that it was unlikely the thatch would have lasted much longer.  It was brittle and mostly rotten with a build-up of layer upon layer of thatch as no stripping back had taken place. Irish Landmark is, therefore, once again extremely grateful to the Irish Georgian Society for their very timely grant award and their continuing support of conservation work.

(Words and images: Caroline Crowley, Irish Landmark Trust)

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