FORTY SHADES OF GREEN: THE GARDENS OF IRELAND A SERIES OF TWO WEBINARS INTRODUCTION This handout supports my recent pair of webinar lectures delivered in April, 2021. The literature on Irish Gardens is ‘thin’ in quantity, though not in quality, so I hope you will find something of interest listed below? Titles marked with an asterisk are/were available in paperback. Full details of the lectures can be found here on our website. Lists of images for both lectures are also included, primarily to aid those who are either unfamiliar with Irish place names, or who might wish to look at the lectures a second time. Unless otherwise stated, the landscape or garden is open to the public on a regular basis. READING LIST Please note that there is no formal ‘Garden History’ group in Ireland, though articles on historic gardens appear from time to time in the publications of the Irish Georgian Society. E. Malins & The Knight of Glin Lost Demesnes 1660 – 1845, Barrie & Jenkins, 1976. E. Malins & P. Bowe Irish Gardens & Demesnes from 1830, Barrie & Jenkins, 1980. As with many aspects of Irish art and architecture, the late Desmond FitzGerald, the Knight of Glin, was equally interested in, and a mine of information on historic Irish landscapes. Desmond wrote the first of these two books and Paddy Bowe, the second. The date parameters of both books give a wonderful overview of the grander historic gardens and the modern photographs in both books were taken by Edward Malins, supplemented by a wealth of material reproduced from historic sources. Written and produced forty years ago, almost all the illustrations in both are in black and white. S. O’Brien In the Footsteps of Augustine Henry, Garden Art Press, 2011. I mentioned this book in my second lecture and it is a veritable ‘cornucopia’ of delights: Seamus is a highly regarded expert on Ireland’s (and other nations’) historic plant hunters and he is also the resident curator/director of the Kilmacurragh Garden in Co Wicklow, an outstation of the National Botanic Garden at Glasnevin in Dublin, both of which were discussed in the second lecture. S. Connolly & H. Dillon (eds.) In an Irish Garden*, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1986. M. George & P. Bowe The Gardens of Ireland, Hutchinson, 1986. O. FitzGerald Irish Gardens, Conran Octopus, 1999. M. Eclare Glorious Gardens of Ireland*, Kyle Cathie, 1999. J. Powers & J. Hession The Irish Garden, Frances Lincoln, 2015. These books reflect not only a quiet ‘revolution’ in the quality and presentation of books on Irish gardens, they also chart the growing popularity of all things horticultural which has happened there in recent years, largely stimulated by the work of Helen Dillon as gardener, writer and broadcaster. The earlier three books are written with great wit and style, but the latter pair have better photographs. Jane Power’s book is magnificent in every way, and her knowledgeable text is supported by stunning photographs taken by her husband, Jonathon Hession. 1 H. Dillon The Flower Garden*, 1993, Conran Octopus/RHS, 1993. H. Dillon Garden Artistry: Secrets of Planting & Designing a Small Garden, Macmillan USA, 1995. H. Dillon On Gardening*, Town House, 2005. H. Dillon Helen Dillon’s Garden Book, Frances Lincoln, 2007. These four books by Helen Dillon, Ireland’s most famous and accomplished modern gardener, offer an overview of her development and approach over the last thirty years. The tone remains constant – authoritative, witty and at all times encouraging. Her views on individual plants have evolved over the years reflecting her statement that she is a ‘creator, not a curator’. All the books are literally grounded in her famous garden at Sandford Road in Dublin, from which she and her husband, Val, moved some years ago. The third and fourth books are, for me, the most valuable of the group, with ‘On Gardening’ a selection from a series of pithy weekly articles which Helen contributed to one of the Irish Sunday newspapers, The Sunday Tribune, between 1992 and 1995. These are organised ‘month by month’, a book which I reread regularly, challenged, informed and amused in equal measure. The final book of the group represents what she has said will be her ‘last words’ in book form, though she continues to write for a variety of magazines, such as her recent articles for the RHS magazine, The Garden, though sadly these have been discontinued by the RHS – I gather they prefer to have ‘younger’ contributors, the editorial team succumbing to the madness of the times. The garden at Sandford Road was photographed by all the great specialists over the years for endless articles and books. However, for some of the books listed above, a special mention is due first to the late Diane Tomlinson, a garden photographer peerless in her artistry and gimlet like in her attention to detail, and to Helen herself, who is as skilful with her camera as she is with her secateurs. Their photographs were used for my section on the Dillon Garden in the second lecture. J. Blake & N. Kingsbury A Beautiful Obsession, Filbert Press, 2019. Jointly written by Jimi and Noel, this is a remarkable overview of the development of perhaps the most unusual and stimulating garden created in Ireland in the last few years, Hunting Brook, in Co Wicklow. It is visually quite stunning (the photographs are almost all taken by Richard Murphy and Bernard van Giessen who deserve equal billing with the authors) and if you are lucky enough to get to Hunting Brook anytime soon, rest assured it will probably have changed its floral clothing yet again, as Jimi is another creator, not a curator! Now all we need is a book devoted to June Blake’s garden down the hill at Tinode. A NOTE ON FURTHER IRISH WEBINARS I plan to give a series of webinars on ‘Painting in Ireland’ later this year. Dates for these have yet to be decided but are likely to be in late autumn. Tom Duncan, 27 April, 2021. 2 FIRST WEBINAR – FORMAL TO INFORMAL: THE ROOTS OF IRSH GARDENING LIST OF PLACES AND INDIVIDUALS MENTIONED IN THE LECTURE Most of the sites included in the list below can be visited, unless otherwise indicated by the use of an asterisk*. Present ownership is indicated for most properties included. NB: we have had a problem in the formatting process for this handout which means that when viewed on your screen, some lines appear in italics when these should only be used for individual works of art and botanical names. However, if printed off, the problem disappears! Section Title Slide: Three Approaches Powerscourt, Co Wicklow, The Powerscourt Estate (The Slazenger Family). Mount Stewart, Co Down, The National Trust (Northern Ireland Area). The Dillon Garden*, Dublin – no longer owned by the Dillons and is no longer open to the public. Section Title Slide: Gents, Lords & Dukes – Our Earliest Gardens Unknown Artist, Ballyclough Castle*, Co Clare, Private Collection (PC), the castle is destroyed. Rolf Loeber, Reconstruction of Burton House*, Co Cork, PC, the house is destroyed. Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny, owned and managed by the Office of Public Works (OPW). Kilruddery, Co Wicklow, the Earl of Meath. Section Title Slide: The Ascendency Landscape Unknown Artist, Stradbally*, Co Laois, PC, while the landscape has disappeared, the house was destroyed by fire and replaced in the 19th century. Castletown, Co Kildare, OPW – while the house is open to the public, both follies discussed are now separated from the house and on private land. The ‘Wonderful Barn’ is very difficult of access, while the ‘Obelisk Folly’, if you can get to it, can be viewed from a small country road. Belvedere, Co. Westmeath, Westmeath Co Council. Section Title: The Classical Picturesque in Ireland Carton Demesne, Co Kildare – while the ‘big house’ is now a hotel, much of the parkland is a golf- course, thus not easily accessible; thought most of the 18th century appearance has been altered beyond recognition, The Carton Hotel Co. Arthur Devis, The Earl & Countess of Kildare (later 1st Duke and Duchess of Leinster), early 1750s, PC. Thomas Roberts, A View of the Demesne at Carton (one of four commissioned by the 2nd Duke of Leinster as Marquess of Kildare), 1780s, PC. Hugh Douglas Hamilton, The 2nd Duke of Leinster, PC. Unknown Artist, Matthew Peters, PC. Thomas Roberts, Another View of the Demesne at Carton (one of four commissioned by the 2nd Duke of Leinster as Marquess of Kildare), 1780s, PC. Francis Wheatley, The Dublin Volunteers Meeting on College Green, 1781/82, NGI, Dublin. Section Title: The Romantic Picturesque in Ireland James Barry, Self Portrait with Edmund Burke as Ulysses & Companions escaping Polyphemus, 1776, Crawford Art Gallery, Cork. Joseph Peacock, The Pattern at Glendalough, 1813, Ulster Museum, Belfast. 3 Luggala*, Co Wicklow. Thomas Roberts, A View of Powerscourt with the Sugar Loaf Mountain, 1780s, PC. Powerscourt, Co Wicklow. Section Title: William Robinson’s Influence Francis Dodd, William Robinson, date unknown, PC. Curraghmore, Co Waterford, the Marquess of Waterford. Mount Usher, Co Wicklow, Avoca Group. Section Title: The Wider World Sir Thomas Lawrence, 1st Duke of Wellington, late 1820s, Royal Collection, Windsor Castle. Emo Court, Co Laois, OPW. Woodstock, Co Kilkenny, Kilkenny Co Council. Celia Harrison, Augustine Henry, 1929, present whereabouts unknown. Saruma henryi. Lilium henryi. 4 SECOND WEBINAR – GREEN & ORANGE OR ORANGE & BLUE? GARDENING AND POLITICS IN IRELAND LIST OF PLACES AND INDIVIDUALS MENTIONED IN THE LECTURE Most of the sites included in the list below can be visited, unless otherwise indicated by the use of an asterisk*. NB: we have had a problem in the formatting process for this handout which means that when viewed on your screen, some lines appear in italics when these should only be used for individual works of art and botanical names.