Book launch of local architect in Tullamore this evening
Offaly County Council architect Rachel McKenna will launch her new book in Aras an Chontae, Tullamore this evening.
'Traditional Architecture in Offaly' provides a wonderful insight into the vernacular houses, fixtures and fittings of county Offaly and the outcome of many years of research, field work and conversations with owners.
Rachel is a Grade 1 Conservation Architect with Offaly County Council and has been researching and writing this book over the past 5 years, visiting sites, researching and most importantly engaging and talking to owners.
Much of the inspiration for the book came from the Hynes Egan farmhouse at Carrigeen in Five Alley where the family have cared for their family home while living in their adjacent house. They have hosted Heritage Week tours and in 2019 were nominated as Heritage Heros by the Heritage Council.
The book will be officially launched by art and furniture historian Claudia Kinmonth. Claudia is a researcher and author of Irish Country Furniture and she has been a very positive influence in supporting the Egan family and encouraging the work done by Rachel which is county-wide.
The book considers the setting of dwellings in the landscape or in an urban environment, then looks at plan types and materials used in their construction. Each of the three main rooms, kitchen, parlour and bedroom, are studied in detail with their fixtures and fittings.
It's broad-ranging and ambitious reach includes a wealth of previously unseen primary source material. As an architect, Rachel's easily accessible drawings, sketches and house plans make clear features that can be hard to understand through text alone. She goes far beyond what the book’s simple title suggests, with sections on cooking and food history, as well as neglected objects such as gates, their latches and gateposts.
The book costs €30 and will be launched at 5pm in Aras an Chontae, Tullamore this evening. The book will be on sale in Midland Books and Offaly History in Tullamore and Birr Castle Shop. Other venues will be posted on the Offaly Heritage Facebook page.