The Irish Georgian Society requests the pleasure of your company at the University Club of Chicago for dinner and a panel discussion entitled The Ties That Bind: Modern Americans Discuss Irish Country Houses and Interiors.

About the Talk:

Join us for what promises to be a lively and informative evening as Robert O’Byrne asks Tom Savage and Steve Zick about their favourite historic houses and interiors in Ireland, and explores the links between these properties and their contemporary equivalents in the United States.

About Tom Savage:

Tom Savage is the Director of Educational Travel and Conferences at Colonial Williamsburg, where he plans and leads various domestic and international itineraries and oversees educational conferences. Previously, he served as Director of External Affairs and Director of Museum Affairs at Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library. With a rich background in the study of country homes and art history, Mr. Savage has lectured extensively on architecture and decorative arts, authored numerous publications, and led specialized travel programs in England, Ireland, and Scotland.

About Steve Zick:

Steve Zick, Senior Vice President at Christie’s Auction House, has served on the Board of the Irish Georgian Society for over ten years. Steve has been traveling to Ireland since 1978, and has lectured on Irish gardens for audiences throughout Chicagoland. Steve’s exceptional knowledge of the decorative arts is not limited to the Irish country house and its interior; he also serves or has served on myriad Boards, including the Museum Council of the Museum of Contemporary Photography, the Costume Council of the Chicago History Museum, the Acquisitions Committee of the Society for Contemporary Art at the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Board of Governors of the English Speaking Union. He also serves as a member of “Emerge,” the art acquisition arm of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, and as a member of the PAWS advisory board.

Schedule:
6:00pm - Cocktails
6:30pm - Panel Discussion
7:30pm - Dinner

This event has concluded.

Summergrove House, County Laois.

October 31, 2024 11:30 AM

St. Botolph Club

199 Commonwealth Avenue,

Boston, MA 02116

About the book:

Forgoing the usual images of decay and decline, Robert O’Byrne’s new book from Rizzoli is an exploration of some of the most captivating and unusual interiors in Ireland. Whether in the transformation of a derelict estate, the preservation of an historic hunting lodge, or the re-creation of a Gothic fantasy, each of the homes in this extraordinary book reflects a renewed vitality in the contemporary approach to Irish country houses.

Accompanied by specially commissioned photography from Luke White, the author guides readers through fifteen exceptional spaces, drawing out the remarkable aspects of each, and in doing so celebrates the unexpected eclecticism and reinvigorated spirit of Ireland’s historic country houses.

About the author:

Robert O’Byrne is a writer and lecturer specialising in the fine and decorative arts. He is the author of more than a dozen books, among them Luggala Days: The Story of a Guinness House (Cico Books) and The Last Knight: A Tribute to Desmond FitzGerald, 29th Knight of Glin (Lilliput Press). A former Vice-President of the Irish Georgian Society and trustee of the Alfred Beit Foundation, he is currently a trustee of the Apollo Foundation.

Schedule:
11:30am - Reception
12:00pm - Lunch

This event has concluded. Thank you to all who joined us!

Kelvedon Hall, Essex.

The Irish Georgian Society requests the pleasure of your company at the Racquet and Tennis Club of New York for dinner and a panel discussion entitled The Ties That Bind: Modern Americans Discuss Irish Country Houses and Interiors.

About the Talk:

Join us for what promises to be a lively and informative evening as Robert O’Byrne asks Tom Savage and Ralph Harvard about their favourite historic houses and interiors in Ireland, and explores the links between these properties and their contemporary equivalents in the United States.

About Tom Savage:

Tom Savage is the Director of Educational Travel and Conferences at Colonial Williamsburg, where he plans and leads various domestic and international itineraries and oversees educational conferences. Previously, he served as Director of External Affairs and Director of Museum Affairs at Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library. With a rich background in the study of country homes and art history, Mr. Savage has lectured extensively on architecture and decorative arts, authored numerous publications, and led specialized travel programs in England, Ireland, and Scotland.

About Ralph Harvard:

Ralph Harvard is an architectural preservationist and interior designer in New York City specializing in gently bringing period houses quietly into the twenty-first century. He has established a powerful reputation for his knowledge of Georgian architecture and construction, and he has worked on restoration of some of the finest homes in the coastal South. Past president of the American Friends of the Georgian Group, he recently co-lead a trip to Northern Ireland for the Decorative Arts Trust.

Schedule:
6:00pm - Cocktails
6:30pm - Panel Discussion
7:30pm - Dinner

‍

This event has concluded.

Summergrove House, County Laois.