If you’ve been reading WIJW for a while you know that I’m constantly falling in love with extraordinary houses in need of rescue…and this is certainly a big part of why I’m so thrilled to share our friend Robert O’Byrne’s (The Irish Aesthete) latest book entitled The Last Knight: A Tribute to Desmond Fitzgerald, 29th Knight of Glin.
When Desmond Fitzgerald passed away in September 2011, O’Byrne was quite disappointed with the media coverage…it simply did not do justice to him. In answer, our friend O’Byrne produced this lovely tome to celebrate Fitzgerald, his home, and his great passion for Ireland’s rich cultural heritage. In O’Bryne’s words, “…Glin ( Fitzgerald’s ancestoral home)…radiated out those passionate commitments which embraced the whole of Ireland. For the most cosmopolitan man, Ireland was the centre of the world and Glin was the center of Ireland.”
A fierce advocate of preservation, and noted scholar (figuring prominently in the Irish Georgian Society and The Irish Architectural Archive), Fitzgerald was highly instrumental in bringing Irish arts and architecture to the attention of the public, and worked tirelessly to preserve many important properties. One of Fitzgerald’s close friends, antiques dealer extraordinaire Christopher Gibbs, proposed that O’Byrne’s book should be “..a rally cry, an appeal to others to pick up the baton, to follow where Desmond led.” He goes on to say, “none of us can hope to match his energy, his passion, his commitment, and the sheer scope of his scholarship. But we can try to emulate at least some of his attainments. In so doing, we will best pay tribute to a truly splendid Irishman.”
Sign me up! I’m always ready to take part whenever I can help raise awareness for the preservation of architecturally significant buildings.
The Last Knight is a captivating and inspirational book—a perfect firelight read. Do put it on your reading list! Buy it on Amazon here: The Last Knight: A Tribute to Desmond Fitzgerald, 29th Knight of Glin Using our link to Amazon helps keep WIJW going so we can bring you great finds like these!
Oh, and do stay tuned, we’ll be relying heavily on O’Byrne’s great expertise to help in planning an upcoming WIJW tour of Ireland!