TV: Legacy of love that created Garnish
Its only structure was a disused Martello Tower. With barely any soil for trees to grow, it would take a huge leap of imagination to think this could ever be one of Ireland’s most beautiful gardens.
However, that is exactly what the Bryces created in the sheltered harbour of Glengarriff in Bantry Bay, before leaving Garnish to the State in 1953.
The story of its transformation is told in the second episode of on RTÉ1 on Sunday at 6.30pm, a series about the National Historic Properties portfolio.
The episode features properties built in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, completely different in style and purpose yet linked by their connection to imaginative and creative people.
The programme also visits The Great Blasket Island and Visitor Centre in Kerry to tell the story of an enduring literary heritage created by a unique community. The building was designed by Ciaran O’Connor, who went on to become Ireland’s State Architect. He says: “Most buildings, like a good poem, work on different levels and need different ingredients.”
In complete contrast, and on the other side of the country on the northern shore of Dublin Bay, stands The Casino at Marino, a remarkable building inspired by the cultures of ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt.
In the late 18th century, James Caulfield, 1st Earl of Charlemont, commissioned architect Sir William Chambers to design it.
Also profiled in the programme is Farmleigh House and Estate, bought by Edward Cecil Guinness in 1873. The original building was extensively remodelled and enlarged to create a country mansion close to the heart of Dublin.
App?
