Just as concerns were raised in the Seanad last week about a missing portrait, scores of deputies and senators were trooping up to the OPW offices on St Stephen's Green to choose a painting to hang in their offices in the new building. The selection included many of the country's best young artists.
But Senator Mary Henry was concerned about an old painting - the large portrait of Countess Markievicz in evening dress which hung in Leinster House and disappeared when the reconstruction work began. She wants it back, not least because of its elegance but because Markievicz is one of the few females hanging in the house and is a role model for girls. Sile de Valera told the Seanad that the portrait, by Count Markievicz, was on bad quality canvas and had deteriorated. Hopefully it could be repaired by the National Gallery and restored to the Seanad staircase.