Madam, - Orla Fullam-Smith (July 5th) makes an interesting point with her tale of two Gandon-designed homes. I am sure most of your readers will have guessed the identity of the "avowed nationalist" who sold his home to a property developer for €45 million, but the identity of the other home-owner may not spring to mind so readily. Ms Fullam-Smith was of course referring to Mr Cholmeley-Harrison who purchased Emo Court and gardens, near Portarlington, in the 1960s and spent the next 30 years restoring this Gandon-designed house to its former glory at great personal expense.
In 1994, in an act of extraordinary generosity, Mr Cholmeley-Harrison handed over his home to the people of Ireland so that the public might be able to enjoy this gem of Irish Georgian architecture. When one considers what the State has had to pay for similar buildings of national importance, such as Farmleigh, it seems a terrible pity that we do not have an appropriate method of rewarding and recognising the type of generosity of spirit displayed by Mr Cholmeley-Harrison.
While many people declare their patriotism and profess to be true nationalists I know of few who would be prepared to back up their words with a gesture of such magnitude of that made by Mr Cholmeley-Harrison. "And him only a blow-in", as we say. - Yours, etc,
DAVID ORFORD, Patrick Street, Portarlington, Co Laois.