Fota House awarded grant

Together with Fota House Arboretum & Gardens we are delighted to be awarded grant funding from The Heritage Council of Ireland‘s Community Heritage Grant Scheme for the conservation and repair a number of hugely important and significant collection of furniture pieces held at Fota House, which are original to the property and connected to the Smith Barry estates.

Through this funding support, these furniture items will receive the specialist care needed to protect them from further deterioration. This investment in conservation ensures that future generations will continue to experience these remarkable objects, while allowing us to continue to share their stories with the many visitors who come to Fota House each year.

These very special items include a set of 10 early 19th century, crested and carved walnut hall chairs with their original silk gaufrage seat covers, commissioned c. 1860 by Arthur Hugh Smith Barry. They remained at Fota House until 1975 when they were sold at auction. Serendipitously, in 2023 they appeared at auction again in Co Laois. The Irish Heritage Trust, with grateful assistance from the Friends of the National Collections of Ireland, purchased the 10 chairs and returned them to their original historic setting, Fota House.

And now with this much appreciated support from The Heritage Council of Ireland, it will help us to preserve a significant element of Fota House’s historic interiors, ensuring these furniture pieces remain accessible to visitors for many years to come.