A catalogue of the collection of portrait miniatures donated by Edmund Corrigan to the Irish Georgian Society (IGS) for display at Castletown and Doneraile Court has been published by the IGS in October, 2024. It provides comprehensive catalogue descriptions on the sitters in the portraits and the houses they resided at. Author Kevin Mulligan has unearthed vast quantities of information that connects miniature to miniature, family to family, house to house adding significantly to our understanding of the interlocking family and social histories of Irish country
houses. Paul Caffrey, leading expert on miniatures notes ‘few historic family collections of miniatures survived in Ireland making this a truly remarkable collection of national importance’.

In addition to the detailed catalogue entries and images of sitters there are carefully sourced illustrations of the houses the sitters lived in. The watercolours, pen and ink drawings and paintings of the houses, topographical views and landscapes work especially
well. Kevin weaves a magically interwoven account throughout the 221 catalogue entries.

William Laffan contributes a fascinating essay on the history of portrait miniatures which sets the context to the significance of Edmund’s collection and the links to literature are particularly
effective.

The background to the making and researching of the catalogue goes back to 2016 when miniatures of the Boyle and Fitzgerald families were presented on loan to Castletown and went on
display in the Print Room. The following summer Donough Cahill, Director of the Irish Georgian Society (IGS) raised the possibility of a substantial miniature collection being made available for Castletown on long-term permanent loan. The Collection was to be donated to the IGS by Edmund Corrigan. Following agreement with the Director of National Historic Properties, Rosemary Collier, Dorothea Depner and I progressed plans for the Edmund Corrigan Collection of portrait miniatures, in association with the
Castletown Foundation, to be housed at Castletown. By the middle of 2018 the IGS was getting ready to transfer the miniatures and it was agreed that a small selection of the miniatures would be housed at Doneraile Court – Edmund had fundraised for the earlier conservation works at Doneraile Court
in the 1980’s and wanted to support OPW’s work now in presenting suitable and interesting collections at Doneraile. Ludovica Neglie made the first inventory of the collection investigating provenance with Edmund.

The Chairman of the Castletown Foundation (CF) David Sheehan together with the late Jeanne Meldon, Director and former Deputy Chair of the CF commenced work on how best to display
the miniature collection. Pat Murray, another Director of the CF, had been supporting Edmund in his collecting and together plans started to come together. David knew that Edmund was clear the
style of presentation was to be Country House and David Sheehan designed a scheme for the Lady Kildare Room. Conservation of the Lady Kildare Room and bringing it into visitor tours had been
under discussion for some time. The arrival of Edmund’s collection and the challenge of how best to display it was the catalyst to the conservation project. Jeanne had a wonderful knowledge of the families and the houses and gave much time and effort into organising the groups by family and houses. David
Hartley at Castletown took control of the care of the miniatures working to David’s layouts for the room and Sandra Murphy took charge of ensuring the guiding team prepared for interpreting
the collection to visitors. Joanne Bannon, Historic Collections Registrar, led on the loan agreement documentation between OPW and the IGS in line with the Museum Standards Programme of Ireland (MSPI). The cases for display of the miniatures were at the house including the Luggala bookcase from the Green Drawing Room, upcycled unused frames and furniture from the Farmyard. It all combined to make a most suitable receptacle for the collection. A beautiful porcelain desk set donated by the late
Della Howard through the London Chapter of the IGS is part of the displays in the Lady Kildare Room and it was the late John Redmill and John Berger who presented that to Castletown. In parallel work was beginning to take off on the upgrade and conservation of the Ground Floor at Doneraile Court.

It was so special that Edmund could be present when Doneraile Court – a house he had fundraised for and donated several paintings to – re-opened in June 2019. He could see the interiors come back to life with two stunning framed displays of his portrait miniatures. It was another day of great celebration when in the final few days – unknowns to us – pre Covid lockdown – we gathered on 6 March, 2020 to view the collection installed in the Lady Kildare’s Room together with the celebration to mark the
acquisition of the Duchess of Leinster portrait by Reynolds – a joint purchase by the OPW/CF and the Friends of the National Collections of Ireland (FNCI). It was a delight to see Edmund enjoy seeing the miniatures presented so magnificently. When the second phase of Doneraile Court was completed we were delighted that Edmund was able to view the displays in May 2023, just months before his untimely death. The two interiors of Castletown and Doneraile fittingly bookend the Foreword to
the newly published catalogue on the Edmund Corrigan Collection. A job well done and a fitting testimony to excellent outcomes for Ireland’s cultural heritage from the careful nurturing of private philanthropy with charitable and public institutions. The Edmund Corrigan Collection at Castletown and
Doneraile Court is something we can all be proud of.