TY Artists Visit Rathfarnham Castle Exhibition
Poppy Wilkinson, Form IV, reports on the recent Art trip to Rathfarnham Castle.
On Wednesday, September 9th, our TY Art class visited Rathfarnham Castle to explore the photography exhibition, Monuments in Focus – A Visual Exploration of Ireland’s Archaeological Heritage. We were welcomed by Peter, who showed us around the castle while telling us about its fascinating History.
Rathfarnham Castle dates back to the Elizabethan period and was built around 1583 for Adam Loftus, a Yorkshire clergyman and politician who became Archbishop of Dublin. Originally, The Castle had a much more defensive appearance, with four large corner towers and features designed to protect the building. However, during the eighteenth century, The Castle was remodelled into a much more elegant and luxurious home, with beautiful Georgian interiors created with the help of some of the finest architects and designers of the time.
We started our visit in the gallery, where we explored the photography exhibition which displayed some of Ireland’s most famous landmarks such as The Hill of Tara, Co. Meath and Doon Fort, Co. Donegal. As well as learning about Ireland’s heritage, we came across some beautiful pieces of modern artwork. One piece that particularly caught my attention was Sasha Sykes’ As I Am Now resin sculpture, (we were lucky enough to have her visit our school last year and talk to our senior pupils about her work). This gave us an opportunity to see how artists can respond creatively to ideas of Irish history and heritage.
We then made our way upstairs to the ballroom, where we learned about the history of the room and the events that took place there many years ago. Hearing the stories and imagining what the room would have been like in the past was my favourite part of the experience.
We were then given time to explore the rest of The Castle, discovering its fascinating rooms and architecture before walking around the grounds outside. We ended our trip in Brambles Café, where we enjoyed some delicious cake and coffee, which was the perfect way to finish off the day.
Overall, we all had a lovely and memorable experience. A big thank you to Ms. Cullen for organising the trip and Ms. Murphy and Desireé Lee for organising the trip, and to Peter our tour guide for bringing the history of Rathfarnham Castle to life!
