The Ireland Funds Conference
2008 | 19, 20, 21 June 2008
Powerscourt Gardens
Stormont, Belfast |
The 2008 Worldwide Ireland Funds Conference
took place amidst one of the most scenic and
historic estates, Powerscourt House and Gardens,
in County Wicklow, the garden county of Ireland.
Donors were welcomed on Thursday evening at
an informal supper, by American Ireland Funds’ Chairman,
Loretta Brennan Glucksman and Hugo Mac Neill,
Chairman of The Ireland Funds.
Belfast
Friday morning
saw the group travel by train to Belfast where
they received a warm welcome to the magnificent
Stormont Castle from First Minister Peter Robinson
and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.
First Minister Robinson recognized and paid
tribute to the role of The Ireland Funds in
Northern Ireland over the past 30 years and
encouraged a continued partnership in this
new era of peace and reconstruction. The reception
was followed by a tour of Belfast which took
in City Hall; the Waterfront an award-winning
conference, arts and entertainment centre and
the peace lines. At the Harbour Commissioners
Offices - an imposing sandstone building, built
in two sections during the 19th century - a
number of the flagship projects including Sesame
Tree and PeacePlayers International updated
Donors on their progress. Senator Maurice Hayes
stressed the importance of continued moral
and financial support for the ongoing promotion
of peace and reconciliation.
Wicklow : Plenary Session
At the Plenary
session on Saturday morning Kingsley Aikins,
Chief Executive of the Worldwide Ireland Funds,
along with senior executives and Board Directors
mapped out the long-term vision and opportunities
for the Funds. The presentation prompted a
lively and engaged discussion with representatives
of The Ireland Funds from around the globe.
There was a widely held view that the Funds
have a unique opportunity to harness the power
of the global Irish network to make a difference
together in philanthropic activity.
Literary Award & Gala
The Mid-Summer Night’s Gala saw the
presentation of the 37th AWB Vincent American
Ireland Fund Literary Award to the Belfast
born writer David Park.
• 37th AWB Vincent American
Ireland Fund Literary Award >
Phil Coulter,
the accomplished songwriter and pianist, enthralled
guests with a number of his most popular songs
including My Lagan Love and The Town I Loved
So Well. The sing- song continued late into
the evening showcasing the talents of many
of those in attendance.
Sunday
On Sunday the hardy
golfers among the group took on the challenge
of Druids Glen golf course while a scenic tour
of County Wicklow through the Sally Gap with
lunch at Kilruddery House and Gardens was enjoyed
by many international guests. A dinner “en
famille” in
McGills Bar along with a traditional Irish
session with The Irish Weavers rounded out
a memorable few days.
Schedule of Events
Thursday, June 19th
Evening
Champagne welcome reception and dinner
at Powerscourt House and Gardens
Friday, June 20th
Private train to Belfast to visit Stormont
Buildings followed by visits to projects supported
by The Ireland Funds.
Saturday, June 21st
Morning
Plenary Session to Map out Long-term
Vision for the Funds
Evening
Midsummer Night’s Gala Evening
with presentation of the 37th AWB Vincent American
Ireland Fund Literary Award
Sunday, June 22nd
Golf at Powerscort Golf Club
or Druids Glen
Or
Scenic Tour of County Wicklow,
the Garden of Ireland, with lunch at Kilruddery
House and Gardens
Powerscourt Estate (Irish
: Eastát Chúirt an Phaoraigh),
Enniskerry, County Wicklow, is a large country
estate which is noted for its house and landscaped
gardens, today occupying 47 acres.
The original owner of the 13th century castle
was a man by the name of la Poer, which was
eventually anglicised to Power. The castle's
position was of strategic military importance,
in that the castle's owner could control
access to the nearby Dargle, Glencree and
Glencullen rivers.
The three-story house had at least 68 rooms.
The entrance hall was 60 feet (18 metres)
long and 40 feet (12 metres) wide where family
heirlooms were displayed. The main reception
rooms were on the first floor rather than
more typically on the ground floor. A mile-long
avenue of beech trees leads to the house.
King George IV was the guest of Richard
Wingfield, fifth Viscount Powerscourt in
August 1821. Mervyn Wingfield, seventh Viscount
Powerscourt inherited the title and the Powerscourt
estate, which comprised 49,000 acres (200
km²) of land in Ireland, at the age
of 8 in 1844. When he reached the age of
21 he embarked on an extensive renovation
of the house and created new gardens.
Inspiration for the garden design followed
visits by Powerscourt to ornamental gardens
at the Palace of Versailles, Schönbrunn
Palace near Vienna, and Schwetzingen Palace
near Heidelberg. The garden development took
20 years to complete in 1880.
Main attractions on the grounds include
the Tower Valley (with stone tower), Japanese
gardens, winged horse statues, Triton Lake,
pets cemetery, Dolphin Pond, walled gardens,
Bamberg Gate and the Italian Garden. Once
available to tourists, but currently inaccessible,
is the Pepperpot Tower said to be designed
after a favored 3" pepperpot of Lady
Wingfield. Of particular note is the pets
cemetery, whose tombstones have been described
as "astonishingly personal".
On a commanding hilltop position Richard
Cassels deviated slightly from his usual
sombre style, to give the house something
of what John Vanbrugh would have called the
'castle air', a severe palladian facade bookended
by two circular domed towers.
In the 1830s, the house was the venue for
a number of conferences on unfulfilled Bible
prophecies, which were attended by men such
as John Nelson Darby and Edward Irving. These
conferences were held under the auspices
of Theodosia Wingfield Powerscourt, then
the dowager Lady Powerscourt. Her letters
and papers have recently been republished
together with the summaries of the Powerscourt
prophetic conferences.[2]
The house was destroyed by fire on 4 November
1974 while it was owned by the Slazenger
family, and was subsequently renovated in
1996. Only two rooms are open to the public
as they once appeared while Powerscourt had
residents, while the rest of the renovated
house has been converted into shops.
The house was used as a filming location
in the 2002 film, The Count of Monte Cristo,
and, more famously, in Stanley Kubrick's
Barry Lyndon, which was filmed there before
the 1974 fire. |
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