From Luggala to Farmleigh: Minister O’Donovan welcomes long-term loan of Garech Browne Library

The Office of Public Works, in partnership with the Trustees of the Browne Family Trusts, is pleased to announce the long-term loan of the Garech Browne Library to Farmleigh.

The library is a substantial and eclectic collection of around 20,000 books and manuscripts reflecting Garech Browne’s life-long, remarkably wide-ranging interests, including, but not limited to, international literature, art, music, philosophy, religions, history, and horticulture. Its contents include many precious items of great rarity and of specialised interest. Garech corresponded with many of Ireland’s greatest writers of the twentieth century and there are many signed and dedicated first editions of their works in the collection.

In a happy reunion of different generations of Guinness family history, his library will join that of the late Lord Iveagh, Benjamin Guinness, whose bequest to Marsh’s Library in Dublin is housed at Farmleigh. The Farmleigh Estate itself was established by the first Lord Iveagh, Edward Cecil Guinness, great-grandfather of both Benjamin Guinness and of Garech Browne through his mother Oonagh Guinness. Today, Farmleigh is the official guest house of the Irish State and accommodates visiting heads of state and high-ranking guests of the Irish Government. It also hosts cultural events and is open to visitors.

Welcoming the announcement of the long-term loan agreement, Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Patrick O’Donovan, said:

“We are honoured by the trust placed in the OPW to care for and make available Garech Browne’s unique library collection to researchers at Farmleigh library. This is the latest example in a long line of significant partnerships we have forged over time at different heritage sites in our care with major cultural institutions, non-profit organisations and private donors and collectors, all in order to preserve and share with the public a rich variety of important collections and legacies.

I am also delighted to announce that in addition to the long-term loan of the library collection, the Browne Family Trustees have also gifted to the Irish State 69 horse-drawn carriages collected by Garech Browne over the course of his lifetime. In order to be able to drive these, Garech obtained an official qualification: a hackney licence, badge number 99 1972/1973. We are very fortunate indeed to be able to conserve and display the carriages for visitors to enjoy in fitting period settings at our wonderful historic properties in Farmleigh Estate, Doneraile and Annes Grove.”

In accordance with his wishes, and on behalf of the Browne Family Trustees, the Garech Browne Library remains intact and will be curated professionally by the OPW with the generous financial support of the Trustees in a dedicated library space at Farmleigh. When completed, it will be made accessible and available as a particularly rich resource for Irish and international scholars.

Visitors to Farmleigh House can discover the life of Garech Browne in art, music and literature in the beautiful Oak Room, which will contain a display of artworks, personal and Guinness family memorabilia, photographic material, furniture and other objects and will be named The Garech Browne Room.

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Notes

Garech Browne’s cultural interests took many forms: along with his friend the composer Seán Ó Riada, he was prominent in the major revival of traditional Irish music from the 1950s onward. In 1959, together with poet John Montague, psychiatrist Ivor Browne, and musician Paddy Moloney, he famously established Claddagh Records. As Chairman of Claddagh Records, he oversaw recordings of poetry and music over almost 60 years. The Claddagh catalogue is internationally recognised as authoritative for the very best of twentieth century Irish and some international poetry, and, of course, Irish and some international folk music.

At Luggala in Wicklow, the spectacular estate he inherited from his mother, he gathered together, on a daily and nightly basis, poets, artists, harpists, uilleann pipers, fiddlers, bodhrán and whistle players, seannachai tale tellers, sean nós singers and an ever-widening circle of like-minded friends, reflecting his deep interest in Irish culture. His art collection included works by Jack B Yeats, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Louis le Brocquy, Anne Madden, Hughie O’Donoghue, Edward McgGuire, Barrie Cooke, Anthony Palliser.

Farmleigh House and Estate is managed by the Office of Public Works. It is open to visitors daily and Farmleigh House can be visited by guided tour. See farmleigh.ie for more information.