The restoration of Ballyfin represents a unique achievement, where sensitivity to character and place triumph, writes Kevin Mulligan.
The palingenesis of Ballyfin is an extraordinary triumph. After three decades of slow decline that had placed it foremost amongst Ireland’s endangered buildings, the monumental task of restoring this great house and its landscape is now complete. When the Patrician Brothers announced their intention to close Ballyfin College in 2001 after a stewardship of seventy-four years, just four brothers remained to share the overwhelming responsibility for the vast house and 600 acres of demesne. Decay was becoming evident everywhere as nature eagerly extended its tenacious hand.
David Davidson pays tribute to Bill Doyle, Dublin-born master photographer, who in these fond studies has left an indelible record of his country