Architectural history is well served this year - not only by Robert O'Byrne's colourful celebration of the Irish Georgian Society - but by a book launched this week, Great Irish Houses, published by Image publications. With forewords by Desmond FitzGerald, Knight of Glin, and the Hon Desmond Guinness, founder of the Irish Georgian Society, this latest book will also become a useful volume of social history.
The interiors and histories of the houses in the book are described by Deirdre Conroy and William Laffan, with photography by Trevor Hart. What makes this distinct from, say, from earlier coffee table books devoted to historic Irish houses is that the houses now are all in better shape after the boom years. Plasterwork has been meticulously restored; gardens, too, and generally speaking, this book is a happy reminder of the good times we've enjoyed and the great houses that have survived and flourished. Great Irish Houses costs €55.