The life of Lord Charlemont, known as the Volunteer Earl, was celebrated yesterday at the Casino in Marino, on the north side of Dublin, in a gathering organised by Duchas to mark the bi-centenary of his death in 1799.
The Casino, one of the finest neo-classical buildings in Europe, was built in the 1760s by Lord Charlemont to a design by Sir William Chambers, the noted English architect. Now restored, it is in the care of the State.
Lord Charlemont, whose town house in Parnell Square is now the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery, was one of the most cultivated men of his era. He became the first commander of the Irish Volunteers in 1780 and first president of the Royal Irish Academy.
Yesterday's gathering was addressed by Dr Michael McCarthy, professor of art history at UCD, and Mr John Redmill, the architect who supervised the restoration of the Casino in the 1980s.
The Casino stands on a gentle rise off Malahide Road. Managed by Duchas, the Heritage Service, it is open to the public daily from 9.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.
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