Seminar 13 October 2012 – Kilcullen Heritage Centre
9.00 – Doors open
9.00 – 9.30 – Registration
9.30 – Start
9.45 – Launch by Bridget Loughlin, Heritage Officer
10.00 – 11.00 – Main Talk: ‘A subject for the crowbar: the offer of Bishopscourt, Co. Kildare, to the State, 1966-71,’ by Emer Crooke
11.00 – 11.15 – Display of new Federation website by Sean Sourke, Webmaster
11.15 – 11.30 – Break
11.30 – 12.30 – Society Speak
12.30 – 12.45 – Short talk: ‘Oral history workshop,’ by Bridget Loughlin
12.45 – 1.00 – Formal AGM
1.15 – Lunch
3.00 – Trip to Harristown House
Trip to Harristown House
Harristown demesne was purchased by the La Touche family in 1768 and a spacious Georgian mansion was erected by Whitmore Davis in a dominant position overlooking the River Liffey. The old house of three stories was destroyed in 1891 and a smaller two storey house sits well in its place. The diocesan architect, James Franklin Fuller, oversaw the restoration of the house at the same time as he rebuilt the small Church of Ireland church at the entrance to the estate. The omission of the third storey allows for an unusual amount of light into the house through a cleverly constructed lantern light. Thus the move from the airy and bright downstairs rooms is complemented by a rush of light from the upstairs hallway. Another interesting feature is the tunnel that runs underground for some 80 metres from the stable yard into the basement.