LEGACY (New four-part documentary series on Ireland’s National Historic Properties)Programme Four – The Art of the Portrait (final episode)Sunday June 1st 2025RTÉ One
6.30pm
The National Historic Properties portfolio is one of the most interesting property portfolios in Ireland.
Owned by the State, and managed by the Office of Public Works, it’s a fascinating and diverse collection of castles, country houses, memorial sites and gardens, consisting of thirty two historic properties that are open to the public.
Many of these properties were given to the State as gifts, some were bought by the State, and others, including Áras an Uachtaráin and Dublin Castle, came into the State’s possession when Ireland gained independence in 1922.
LEGACY is a new, four part documentary series for RTÉ featuring 15 of the National Historic Properties, with each episode having a specific theme: Centres of Power, Writers and Collectors, Memory and Commemoration, and The Art of the Portrait.
Writer and director of LEGACY David Hare, who wrote and directed Great Lighthouses of Ireland, explains:
“The traditional way to approach this subject would be chronologically or geographically, but instead we’ve done so thematically. The thematic approach enabled us to include very different and seemingly unrelated buildings and sites from very different eras, and weave them together so that the connections between them become clear.”
Episode Four: The Art of the Portrait
Episode four features four Historic Properties in which portraits have been collected, painted and displayed over the centuries. The Glebe House and Gallery, Co. Donegal, Kilkenny Castle, Dublin Castle, and Áras an Uachtaráin, in the Phoenix Park.
The Glebe House and Gallery
Built in 1828, the Glebe House was bought by British landscape artist and portrait painter Derek Hill in 1954, and became his home and studio. Hill was a talented and sought after artist who painted prominent figures such as the Prince of Wales and Noël Coward and also the local Donegal people he befriended. The Glebe House also became home to Hill’s eclectic collection of art, furniture and artefacts from his world travels, including works by Picasso and Jack B. Yeats. Keen that future generations would be able to enjoy his collection, Hill donated his house and its contents to the nation in 1987, and it became a museum and art gallery. Derek Hill was made an honorary Irish citizen in 1999, the year before he died.
Dublin Castle
From 1204 to 1922, Dublin Castle served as the seat of British rule in Ireland and for much of that time was the residence of the viceroy, the representative of the British monarch. The Portrait Gallery in the castle’s State Apartments takes its name from the portraits of viceroys that hang there. When Charles Dickens visited in the 1860s he urged visitors to look carefully at these: “clever and weak and cunning faces” and deduce from them the story of British rule in Ireland. Éamon de Valera’s government of the 1930s believed the portraits should be kept as objects of historical interest and a reflection of the transition to independence.
Kilkenny Castle
A significant collection of Irish portraits can be seen in Kilkenny Castle. The castle was bought in 1381 by the powerful Butler family who remained the owners for over 600 years. In the 19th century, the Butlers constructed a large, elaborately decorated Picture Gallery and the portraits within it tell the story of the family from the first Duke of Ormond in the 1630s to the 19th century. The castle was sold in 1967 to the Castle Restoration Committee for a nominal £50, and in 1969 passed into the care of the Irish state. Following a huge conservation project, the OPW acquired the Butler family’s collection of heirlooms, including their portraits, which are now back in their original home and a crucial part of Ireland’s artistic heritage.
Áras an Uachtaráin
Áras an Uachtaráin is the official residence of the President of Ireland, and one of the locations where the public can view pieces from the State Art Collection. Curated by the OPW, the State Art Collection comprises over 13,000 art works. The Áras itself is home to a very particular form of painting – the presidential portrait. The OPW commissions official portraits of each President and Taoiseach. Former President Mary McAleese describes how she initially ‘hated’ the idea of sitting for a portrait, but came to thoroughly enjoy the experience. Sculptor Paddy Campbell relates how he created a bust of President McAleese, which along with busts of other past presidents, line the Lafranchini Corridor and can be viewed by the public.
(Interviewees include: Richard Noble, photographer and friend of Derek Hill. Professor Mary McAleese, former President of Ireland. Patricia McCarthy, historian and author. Dr. Jane Fenlon, Art Historian and author. James Hanley RHA, Portrait Artist. Sculptor Paddy Campbell).
LEGACY is produced and directed by David Hare for InProductionTV and made with the support of the Office of Public Works
Press enquiries: TVPRPauline Cronin 087 2629967