Given the relative paucity of published research material on Irish furniture, there ought to be great interest in a slim but valuable work recently issued by the Furniture History Society. Irish Furniture, edited by Brian Austen, features a series of papers presented at a February 1999 symposium at London's Victoria and Albert Museum.
As Angela Alexander observes at the close of her essay on early 19th century Dublin cabinet makers, such studies have proceeded slowly due to "the rare survival of papers, the dispersal of so many important collections without record and the destruction of so many fine houses." Nonetheless, research is advancing and her own contribution contains interesting information about familiar names from the period such as Mack, Williams & Gibton and Strahan as well as lesser-known businesses.
The other items in this collection include Eilish Munday on the 19th century cabinet-making firm of Butler's, Nessa Roche on Irish 18th century looking glasses and Nicola Gordon Bowe on furniture and the arts and crafts movement in Ireland.
Published by the Furniture History Society, Irish Furniture is available for £10 from the offices of the Irish Georgian Society, 74 Merrion Square, Dublin.
