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.
IGS London presentation to Castletown House
31.08.2021
Posted by IGS
On Friday the 27th of August, John Barber, the chair of Irish Georgian Society London and John Redmill, Patron and Board member of Irish Georgian Society London were able to present Castletown House with the porcelain desk set bought by the late Della Howard at the 2009 Christies auction of the effects of the Knight of Glin.
Della, a great supporter of the Irish Georgian Society over many years, was keen that the desk set went to Castletown House. As it happened, the house is about to set up a new room with Lady Louise Conolly's writing table and they needed a desk set for it and this is perfect size and style for the table to be used. Della would have been delighted.
Pictured below (L-R) John Barber (Chair IGS London), Mary Heffernan (General Manager at OPW, Historic Properties, Heritage Services) and John Redmill (Patron and Board Member of IGS London)
From 23rd
September to late November, the IGS is hosting Stepping Through the Gate: Inside Ireland's Walled Gardens. Click here to learn more.
Tourin, County Waterford
Andrea Jameson (Stepping through the Gate, Inside Ireland’s Walled Gardens)
The present house at Tourin was built in 1840 to replace an earlier residence, incorporated into a 16th century tower house, closer to the river Blackwater. The walled garden here is approached along a gravelled broad walk, to one side of which the Victorian rock garden has recently been restored. The walk, lined with rhododendrons, camellias and magnolias, eventually reaches the entrance to the old walled garden. This lies adjacent to the old tower house and probably dates from the late 18th century. Running to several acres, it is still in active use, even though some of the original features have been lost over time. A brick-faced wall, for example, was once lined with greenhouses. Today their place has been taken by a deep bed which contains over 100 specimens of Bearded Iris that add dazzling colour here each May and June.
In the summer months, Tourin’s walled garden is replete with cutting plants such as Sweet Pea, Salvias, Agapanthus, Phlox, annual Cosmos, Sweet William and others. At a point close to the centre of the west wall, a seated bower is annually smothered in scented climbing roses. But the garden also produces generous quantities of fruit and vegetables every year. One substantial section is given over to apple trees, while plums can be found in abundance along one side of a walk. Meanwhile, the surviving greenhouse is filled with tomato and similar plants. A fenced-in area offers accommodation to a number of chickens who provide fresh eggs for Tourin’s owners. The walled garden at Tourin offers an excellent example of how such a facility can be adapted to changing times, while still remaining faithful to its original purpose.
'Print REbels' exhibition at the City Assembly House 9th July-27th August 2021
20.07.2021
Posted by IGS
Dancing Figure - Georges Braque (French, 1882-1963)
1931 | | Coloured linocut | Signed in the plate, Original frame chosen by Malcolm Osborne
Georges Braque in 1934 expressed himself thus: "in terms of volume, of line, of weight, and beauty, the artist interprets subjective impressions to create work that goes beyond the everyday towards something lasting and eternal." It was only after the Second World War that he worked in printmaking with earnest.
In 1960, Braque was awarded the Grand Croix de la Legion d'Honneur and the following year a retrospective exhibition of his work was held in the Louvre, Paris, the first time a living artist had been accorded such an honour. Braque lived to see several exhibitions of his graphic work including a full retrospective at the Bibliotheque Nationale de France, Paris, 1960.
'Print REbels' at the City Assembly House would not have been possible with the financial support of Northern Trust (Ireland), the Heritage Council and Camilla McAleese.
From 23rd September to late November, the IGS is hosting Stepping Through the Gate: Inside Ireland's Walled Gardens. Click here to learn more.
Cappoquin House, County Waterford
Andrea Jameson (Stepping through the Gate, Inside Ireland’s Walled Gardens)
Perched high above the Blackwater river and home to the Keane family since 1735, the present house at Cappoquin was built in the late 1700s on the site of an older FitzGerald castle. The building was gutted by after being attacked by anti-Treaty forces in February 1923; fortunately, then-owner Sir John Keane had been expecting such an assault on his property and had removed many of the house's contents. He immediately embarked on a restoration program, completed towards the end of the decade. The old gardens, however, were neglected and it was only after Sir John's son Richard inherited the estate n 1956 that his wife Olivia turned her attention to the grounds.
Running to some six acres, Cappoquin's gardens are in two parts, the lower being around the house which today was a wide terrace immediately in front of the façade offering views down to the local town and river; prior to the 1923 fire, this had been a carriage sweep. Since in turn inheriting from his father in 2010, Sir Charles Keane the present owner had undertaken further work here, clearing parts of the lower garden to allow for fresh planting, and more glimpses of the surrounding countryside. The land rises steadily behind the house, providing an opportunity amply exploited by Sir Charles and his gardener Mark Windross to create a further series of 'rooms', each with its own distinctive character. Their planting has particularly focused on making sure there is something to see throughout the year, and not just in late Spring/early Summer. Nevertheless, the upper garden is notable during those seasons both for its fine trees, including a fine oak and a Southern Maple raised from seed by Olivia Keane, and for the rich colours of magnolia, camellia, azalea and rhododendron.
'Print REbels' exhibition at the City Assembly House 9th July-27th August 2021
14.07.2021
Posted by IGS
Almina - Gerald Leslie Brockhurst RA RE English , 1890-1978) 1924 | Etching | Trial Proof | Signed & with signature in reverse on the plate| Elected ARE & RE 1921 | Elected ARA 1928, RA 1937
Among the awards Brockhurst won as a student at the RA Schools was a travelling scholarship to Italy in 1913. Portraits from the Italian Renaissance and Mannerist Schools were amongst lifelong influences on his highly finished representational work, his delight in chiaroscuro and the capturing of the textural qualities of different fabrics. Echoes of Brockhurst’s idols: Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and Piero della Francesca emerge in his etchings. This etching portrays the artist’s first wife, Anais, a Basque who was Brockhurst’s principal muse until he met his second wife, Dorette. This work was exhibited at the RA and RE in 1924.
The sheet of this particular impression bears three strokes penciled by the artist in the lower right hand corner though not visible when the print is framed. These formed a personal ranking system Brockhurst put in place for his etchings: one, two or three strokes would be placed on the impressions he considered to be particularly well printed. Three strokes were for the ones he thought the most exceptional.
'Print REbels' at the City Assembly House would not have been possible with the financial support of Northern Trust (Ireland), the Heritage Council and Camilla McAleese.
From 23rd September to late November, the IGS is hosting Stepping Through the Gate: Inside Ireland's Walled Gardens. Click here to learn more.
Annes Grove, County Cork
Alison Rosse (Stepping through the Gate, Inside Ireland's Walled Gardens)
The Grove family came to Annes Grove in 1628, and almost 140 years later the heiress Mary Grove married Francis Annesley (later first Earl Annesley), so that the estate here derives from an elision of the couples surname's. The house was probably built around the time of the marriage, although they lived in County Down so Annes Grove was rented to the Aldworth family; when agronomist Arthur Young visited in 1776, he commented that Mrs Aldworth 'has ornamented a beautiful glen, which winds behind the house, in a manner that does honour her taste.' By the early 19th century; the property was occupied by the Grove Annesley family who continued to live here until recently. Each of them further enhanced a landscape on which Mrs Aldworth had already left her mark, most of all Richard Grove Annesley who lived here for some six decades until his death in 1966. He was responsible for transforming the land behind the house where the river Awbeg widens to create an island; both this, and the grounds on either side are of them sent from expeditions to the Himalayas and elsewhere. The old walled garden to one side of the house was likewise remodelled, with a series of 'rooms' created through the use of tall beech and yew hedges, so that the character of each space retains a clear and different identity. This area is a present benefitting from extensive restoration, since responsibility for Annes Grove has now passed to the Office of Public Works.
Robert O’Byrne
The Irish Georgian Society is most grateful to Susan Burke and her late husband Coley who were the inspiration for and provided generous funding for these exhibitions. We also wish to thank the Apollo Foundation, Northern Trust Corporation, Beth Dater, Sheila O’Malley Fuchs, Hindman Auctions, Kay and the late Fred Krehbiel, Jay & Silvia Krehbiel, Frank Saul, John & Nonie Sullivan, Robert & Gloria Turner, and The Heritage Council.
