St Patrick's Day edition: Jane from Ill Seen, Ill Said

I'm excited to welcome Jane from Ill Seen, Ill Said as my St. Patrick's Day guest - her blog is full of interiors inspiration and I love her lyrical writing style. I'm also a huge fan of her 'Where we blog from' series. Thanks Jane - I love the homes you've featured here.

Hello! Jane here from the blog Ill Seen, Ill Said. I'm a Dubliner, currently living in Toronto, Canada. When Lynne asked me to blog something for St Patrick's Day, I thought a post about Irish homes would be perfect. Now, I know some of you are probably imagining twee little thatched, white-washed cottages. I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint on that score. Georgian architecture is very much my Irish reality, whether in the form of farmhomes, city townhouses or grand demesnes. Here are three of my favourite examples:



This farmhouse was featured in World of Interiors and is located in Co. Cork. There's nothing hugely dramatic about it, you could nearly call it utilitarian; almost Shaker-meets-Georgian. The most dramatic room is probably the kitchen, which has been left in the state it was found, with the walls simply washed down. I love the idea of leaving one room in a renovation a little raw. I think this may be one of my favourite homes featured in any magazine ever.

All images scanned from World of Interiors, March 2007
"Country Fare" photographed by Lois Crighton



You may recognize this townhouse from Toast's catalogue and movie from last season. This Georgian period house is located on Henrietta St on the northside of Dublin city centre. The street was originally laid out in 1729 and the houses are big by standards of the time, four or five bay wide. The residents were equally grand, including some of the wealthiest aristocratic families of Ireland.

Images from Romantic Irish Homes by Robert O'Byrne, with photography by Simon Brown, published by CICO Books



These pictures were taken of Bonnettstown by Andrew Bush between 1979 and 1982. Bonnettstown was built in built in 1737 and is located in Co. Kilkenny. As a family we used to visit old grand houses like Lissadell, Russborough and Powerscourt. This style of ruined grandeur is buried very deeply in my consciousness. I respond to it immediately. I know its smells and textures. And it's a part of home that I often miss.

Thanks Lynne for asking me to participate! To read more of my posts about Ireland, click here.

Happy St Patrick's Day, Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig!