John Kirwan recounts the fascinating history of the creators of a recently reclaimed Arcadia
Woodstock, adjacent to the village of Inistioge in county Kilkenny owes it existence largely to the land speculations of Stephen Sweet of Kilkenny who in 1703, emerged as the purchaser of the townlands of Inistioge, Kilcross, Killeen and Ballyshane, from the financially embarrassed James Butler, second Duke of Ormonde. These lands, once part of the possessions of the monastery of the Canons Regular of the Order of St Augustine, had passed to the Crown as a result of the dissolution of monastic foundations and thence to the Ormonds
Shane O’ Toole finds that the tragic atmosphere that had dogged the buildings of St Joseph’s Reformatory has been exorcised
Paul O’ Reilly previews a major exhibition of new work by John Shinnors which will open in his home town of Limerick on 19 September