Oct 4, 2021
The Georgians were terrific at celebrating beautiful women, particularly when they came in pairs. And few pairs came with greater hype than the gorgeous Roscommon-bred Gunning sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, who took London by storm in 1751. Alas, such fame would end in...
Oct 4, 2021
By 1986, less than 300 of the big houses were still in the hands of the families who had built or occupied them during the days when Ireland was a British colony. That same year, the heads of some of these families joined forces with some of those who had purchased,...
Oct 4, 2021
Ireland has always been a riddle. Nothing is as it seems and when it is, it isn’t. From afar, it can seem like a sepia-hued world of thatch cottages, toothless grins and giddy fiddles. Music, alcohol, Catholicism, heartache and a new sense of freedom are woven into a...
Oct 4, 2021
Ireland got its first real glimpse into the mind of Gottfried Helnwein in 2002 when he headlined the Kilkenny Arts Festival. Across the medieval city, familiar landmarks were draped in gigantic posters such as “Epiphany”, depicting a voluptuous mother...
Oct 4, 2021
When we were kids, the eyes would follow us around everywhere. The family portraits, always watching. It was kind of creepy. But then we started working out who was who and they weren’t so scary anymore. The elegant lady outside my parents’ room was one of the kindly...
