The Big House of Annaghmakerrig, close to the extraordinarily named village of Newbliss in Co Monaghan, was left by the philanthropic theatre director Tyrone Guthrie, to be used as a workplace for writers and artists. Run by arts councils both north and south of the Border, it opened in 1981 under the directorship of Bernard and Mary Loughlin.
Since then, the Annaghmakerrig estate, set in dense woodland and overlooking an impossibly beautiful lake the hue of old silver, has welcomed hundreds of writers, musicians, and creative artists working in all genres. The atmospheric and lovely Big House, where old photographs of the Guthrie family hang alongside modern paintings donated by ex-residents, can accommodate 11 people. The old stable yards have been converted to five self-catering cottages for long-stay residents, and extra artists' studios have been built.
Big House residents stay for periods of time ranging from a week to three months, eating together at 7 p.m. each evening, as Tyrone Guthrie stipulated in his will. The cottage residents, some of whom come with family members, can rent their accommodation for several months at a time. The ethos behind all residencies is to provide comfortable, supportive surroundings for creative artists working on specific projects. First-time applicants have their work assessed by a board, which meets regularly to vet future residencies.
The Loughlins left Annaghmakerrig in 1999, and in the intervening period the house has been operating without a director. This was only possible because there was such a strong network of people already in place who worked in the house, some of them there since the centre first opened. Apart from Teddy Burns, all were local women: Doreen Burns, Ingrid Adams, Lavina McAdoo, Marcella Leonard, Teresa Rudden, Ann Corley, Ann McGuirk and Regina Doyle. This week, they have been joined by the new director, Sheila Pratschke, which must make Annaghmakerrig one of the few arts centres in Ireland to be run almost entirely by women.
Pratschke's most recent job was director of the Film Institute of Ireland in Temple Bar, where she worked for almost seven years. Her final weeks at the Irish Film Centre were good ones to go out on: the beguiling Chinese film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, broke all box office records, coming off the screen only to make way for the Beckett Festival. When I meet her at Annaghmakerrig, it is the first time she is staying overnight in her new role on the estate; she once stayed as a resident, years before.
"As soon as I heard there was going to be a vacancy here, applying for the job did come into my mind. I thought about it a lot, and the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea," she explains, having temporarily abandoned the task of unloading boxes from her car. "I think I'm going to love it. But it is a great big unknown, and I have everything to learn. And it's a challenge to think at nearly 55 you can take on a new life."
The unusual surname comes from her ex-husband, who is Czech, and with whom she has two grown-up children. Originally from Limerick, she read Irish and French at UCD. Her husband's work - engineering - took them to diverse locations: Zambia (for almost four years), England, Arklow, Egypt, Waterford and Belmullet.
"So I do know what it's like to live in the country," she stresses, looking out the window at the silent lake. "I had bees and hens and horses and dogs."
All this time, she was teaching, taking night classes, running back-to-work courses for women with FAS, and helping set up a family consultancy business. In 1989, Pratschke returned to Dublin when her children started college, and did the arts administration course at UCD.
"It opened up a terrific kind of second career to me," she says. Since then, all her work has been in the area of the arts and arts management: "Like so many people in the arts, I had a series of short-term contracts." Perhaps the one distinct advantage of short-term contracts and projects is that a wide experience can be picked up quickly, thus fostering a holistic overview of the arts. Consultancy work took her to Indonesia; she took on positions with the Kerlin Gallery and IMMA, and then worked as a consultant on the six month Irish cultural festival in France, L'Imaginaire Irlandais. In 1994, she took over at the IFC.
`I think I turned the IFC into a viable business," she states. "And I'm exceptionally proud of the educational projects that have been set up there. The place is a mixture of culture, arts, education, conservation with the archives - and hard-headed business." At the IFC, there was a £2.5 million turnover last year.
The last available audit figures for the Tyrone Guthrie Centre are for 1999. Running costs were £400,000, of which the arts councils contributed £173,000. The rest came from residents' contributions and fund-raising. Irish-born residents contribute whatever they feel they can afford towards the cost of their stay, the terms of which can vary hugely from individual to individual. Foreign residents pay the full cost of their stay, which is a whacking £2,000 per month. Bursaries are available to artists working in all disciplines.
Pratschke's contract runs for five years. "I do feel quite daunted," she admits. "Bernard was here a long time and casts a long shadow. It's always difficult to follow somebody." She's anxious to credit the "fantastic" team of people who have long worked in the house. "Some of them have been here since Tyrone Guthrie's time. You don't stay in a place that long just for the job. You have to be getting something extra out of the work to stay on."
So what is she hoping to achieve during her time here? "The whole issue of the house itself will have to be tackled. The OPW is going to take over the maintenance of it, which will relieve some of the financial pressure. The house will close for a while, probably this winter, for a revamp." Providing wheelchair access is something she will be looking at. "We'll try and do as much as we can during that time, because it may be years before the opportunity to revisit the building comes again. A darkroom would be nice. And a little gym - there are still some undeveloped buildings in the complex."
Fund-raising is a foremost issue. "Perhaps concerts at the house, followed by a party, followed by an appeal. Open days. But all that has to be thought out and planned. The house has a lot of good will behind it, and great contacts from everyone who has stayed here over the years, and we should make use of that. Arts councils nowadays look for real business plans. There will be lots of brainstorming, and plenty of time to think and plan."
She would like to see Annaghmakerrig have a higher profile in the international arts world, by further developing the existing exchanges. "I also want to work on regional bursaries for people to come and work here, and to improve contacts with Northern Ireland. And to keep to the spirit of the trust at all times. To leave things alone that work perfectly well."
A little while later in the kitchen, at the start of dinner, Pratschke introduces herself to the residents. One of them promptly hands her a carving knife and fork and invites her to tackle the roast. Slightly nonplussed, she rises good-naturedly to the challenge with grace and spirit. "Won't you tell me if I'm making a hames of it?" she entreats.
