On The Town: An exhibition of forgotten paintings of Ireland opened in Dublin this week.
The opening, at the Irish Architectural Archive in Merrion Square, coincided with the publication of Painting Ireland, a scholarly catalogue of topographical paintings with accompanying academic analysis and evaluation.
Artists who came to enjoy the event included Louis Le Brocquy, Anne Madden, Brian Maguire, Maria Simonds-Gooding and Michael Craig. Other guests included Ruairí Quinn TD, film-maker Éamon de Buitléar and the Hon Desmond Guinness, of Leixlip Castle.
Painting Ireland catalogues about 200 paintings, which have been collected by Desmond FitzGerald, Knight of Glin, over the past 30 years. The book, which features views of Ireland dating from the mid-18th century up to the present day, is edited by William Laffan.
"It reflects all sorts of aspects of Irish landscape and Irish life, as collected by somebody who has done more than most to increase appreciation and understanding of an aesthetic and environmental heritage threatened on every side by greed and golf courses," said Prof Roy Foster when he launched the book and opened the exhibition.
"It's an extremely valuable collection to have," said art historian Jane Fenton, one of the book's contributors, who said she especially loved a pencil drawing by Robert Gibbs of Clonamicklon Castle, Co Tipperary.
"I've always collected them because they showed intimate aspects of life," explained the Knight of Glin. "A lot of them are not great works of art, but they show a fragment of social history through amateur and minor artists. They give us a whole insight into 18th- and 19th-century Ireland."
His own favourite, he said, was an early watercolour painting of Glendalough by Francis Wheatley, dated 1779.
The exhibition at the Irish Architectural Archive, 45 Merrion Square, Dublin 2, which features images from Leinster, Ulster and Connacht, will run until Sat, April 1. Topographical views from Munster will go on view at the Hunt Museum, Limerick, on Wed, Feb 15 until Sun, Feb 26
Painting Ireland: Topographical Views from Glin Castle is published by Churchill House Press