Where do chefs go to eat? What do wine-makers drink? What do bloggers read? I have had little luck in finding good blogs and then, like the buses, two come along at once. You might like them as well.
They both celebrate the rich architectural heritage of the British Isles. First, Robert O’Byrne’s The Irish Aesthete, describes Irish architecture in the broadest sense. He has been posting for three years so there is plenty to read. I first came across him not knowing that he wrote a blog when I was given Luggala Days. He published this beautifully illustrated volume about the Guinness family and their lives at Luggala in 2012. Now I’m going to re-read it.
The second is Handed On, being a random register of long-held private country houses not generally open to the public, as it describes itself. The author protects his/her anonymity and the posts are irregular but they are scholarly and well written, going back to 2011, so again there’s plenty to read.
An early entrant in this field is Burke’s Guide to Country Houses, Volume I – Ireland by Mark Bence-Jones, published in 1978. It lists more than 2,000 houses and has about 1,300 pictures. It has been said that the length and enthusiasm of the entries is in proportion to the drinks dispensed to Mark by their owners and, certainly, his neighbours in Co. Cork get more than a fair share of space. Take a look at Castle ffogarty in Co. Tipperary, which doesn’t get a picture.
The Lost Houses of Ireland by Randal MacDonnell has only 25 entries but each are discursive and well illustrated histories of the houses and their owners. But that’s enough reading for now.