THE
ART OF DINING
AFTERNOON TEA IN AN IRISH “GREAT HOUSE”
 Click any photo to send as an ecard!
On March 17th, 2004, The Ireland Fund of Japan participated
in the annual Art of Dining event organized by the
Japan branch of Refugees International.
This annual event showcases table settings from the
many countries represented in Japanese social and
political life and is considered one of the highlights
of the international social calendar in Tokyo. It
is opened by Princess Hitachi and attended by about
4,000 people. This year’s chairperson was Carol
Smith-Wright, wife of the Canadian Ambassador to
Japan.
Tara French, Myrta D’Angelo and I were honoured
to be invited to represent Ireland, and particularly
as the event fell on St. Patrick’s Day.
For our table setting, we choose to recreate an “Afternoon
Tea” in the drawing room of one of Ireland’s “great
houses” and took our inspiration from Lissadell
House, a 19th century stately home in County Sligo.
Our table setting also gave us an opportunity to
show Japan a side of Ireland’s culture and
history with which they may not be familiar. It also
highlighted one of the worthy organizations which
receive funding from The Ireland Funds
The
Irish Georgian Society >
Many magnificent ‘great houses’ - castles
and country estates built over the centuries by the
Irish and Anglo-Irish - were lost to fire, neglect
or misguided modernisation before the emergence of
The Irish Georgian Society.
While our drawing room, in the ballroom of the Westin
Hotel in Tokyo, cannot compare to the magnificence
of the real Lissadell House, with its vaulting ceilings
and great windows our simulated window also provided
a view of manicured lawns and woodlands.
Lissadell House was home to the Gore-Booth family,
friends of W. B. Yeats, the Nobel prize-winning poet.
The Gore-Booths had two beautiful daughters – Eva
and Constance.
We envisioned the ladies of the Gore-Booth family
joined by others from neighbouring estates, clad
in elegant silk dresses, gathering to hear Yeats
read his famous tribute to Eva and Constance. A fire
glows in the hearth and candles cast a soft light
over a table set with sparkling crystal, china, silver
and linen, as Yeats reads his beautiful poem “In
Memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Constance Markiewicz”.
The light of evening, Lissadell
Great Windows open to the south,
Two girls in silk kimonos, both
Beautiful, one a gazelle.
Many a time I think to seek
One or the other out and speak
Of that old Georgian mansion, mix
Pictures of the mind, recall
That table and the talk of youth
Two girls in silk kimonos, both
Beautiful, one a gazelle.
Everything in our table settings and accessories
came from Irish companies, designers and artisans,
some world renowned and some up-and-coming. The antique
Irish wallpaper was sent from Dublin by Tara’s
mother. The silver tea set, candlesticks and accessories
were graciously loaned by East of Boston, a company
in County Cork, Ireland which represents artisans
in gold, silver and other. The
china and crystal were graciously provided by Waterford
Wedgwood. Our respective homes were raided to provide
Irish furniture and paintings.
Our “room” received much attention
from our fellow exhibitors as well as guests and
we truly
appreciate the great effort and commitment of our
wonderful volunteers led by Myrta and Tara. The team
included Iain Gibb who is responsible for many of
the wonderful stage sets in the Tokyo theatre.
Photo Index
1. Princess Hitachi visits with Myrta D’Angelo
and Mary Kilgarriff, in the Ireland Fund of Japan “drawing
room”.
2. Tara French, Mary Kilgarriff & Myrta D’Angelo.
3. Myrta D’Angelo and Mary Kilgarriff are
joined by Setsuko Takino to welcome Mrs. Takako
Shimazu, sister of Japan’s Emperor to the “Irish
Great House”.
4. The Drawing Room in Lissadell House set for
Afternoon Tea (photo courtesy of The Irish Georgian
Society)
5. Our recreation of an elegant drawing room set
for “Afternoon Tea”.
6. Carole Yoshida visits our room.
7. The table setting with lawns and woodlands visible
through the window.
China and crystal from Waterford Wedgwood.
Mother of Pearl and Silver set from
Paul Costelloe for Newbridge. Silver accessories
from East of Boston
8. Hans Peter Kappeler, president of Waterford
Wedgwood and Tom Wedgwood visit our table setting.
9. Peter Itoh (whose family founded Itochu and
whose wife Eriko is a board member of Refugees
International) with Myrta, and Mary.
10. Candlesticks by Kevin O’Dwyer. A pair
of these candlesticks was presented to the Imperial
Family of Japan during the state
visit of President Mary Robinson to Japan. Sterling
Tea Set from Michael McCrory. All available from East of Boston Cork, Ireland
11. Iain, Sumie and Brian hanging the wallpaper
at 1am the night before the event.
12. Sumie Akutsu creating the “window” of
the drawing room – a photo montage of the
grounds of an Irish “great house”. |
| CREDITS
Concept: Mary Kilgarriff
Interior Coordination Myrta D’Angelo
and Tara French
Table Setting: Myrta D’Angelo
Set Design and Implementation: Iain Gibb
Myrta D’Angelo
Sumie Akutsu
Milo Parsons
China and Crystal: Waterford Wedgwood Japan
www.waterfordwedgwood.com/
Silver Sets and Accessories: East of Boston
www.eastofboston.com
Myrta D’Angelo
Silver & Mother of Pearl Cutlery Paul
Costelloe for Newbridge
www.newbridgecutlery.ie/
Dining Chairs: Through Atlantis Architects
Courtesy of IDC Otsuka
Room Furniture: Courtesy of Mary Kilgarriff
Wall Ornaments/Paintings: Courtesy of Mary
Kilgarriff,
Tara French and Myrta D’Angelo
Wallpaper: Donated by Mary Hegarty, Dublin
Window Photography: Photograph provided by
The Irish Georgian Society
www.irish-architecture.com/igs/
Development courtesy of Skillman & Co. Ltd. www.dearcards.com
Shipping to/from Ireland: Courtesy of DHL |
|
DONATE
NOW
