Dining Room
Date: 24 Jul 2008
Dining Room
The Dining Room was originally two panelled rooms, forming an apartment, possibly the private quarters of Katherine Conolly. These two rooms were converted by Lady Louisa into a formal dining room in the 1760s. Dining had always played an important part in the hospitality offered at Castletown as the following description, by Mrs Delany, of Katherines dining habits suggests: She generally had two tables eight or ten people each. Her own table was served with seven courses and a desert, and two substantial dishes on the sidetable, and if the greatest person in the kingdom dined with her, she never altered her bill-of-fare. Lady Louisa continued to entertain in a similar fashion, albeit in a slightly more relaxed fashion, the Gentlemen sat a good while after dinner, and we got or works, and sat around the table and chatted.
The Dining Room was completed in 1768 with Louisa taking advice from her brother-in-law James Duke of Leinster. The ceiling derived from Inigo Jones Banqueting Hall at Whitehall is based on that in the Leinster House dining room designed by Isaac Ware. Recent colour analysis of the paintwork has revealed the room was always painted green, while the present shade represents a possible late eighteenth century scheme. The plasterwork has also been recently restored. The three giltwood pier glasses with their elaborate frames, featuring symbols of Bacchus and festivity are by the leading Dublin carver, Richard Cranfield, (1713-1809).
Paintings
Speaker William Conolly (1662-1729), Posthumous portrait by Stephen Catterson Smith (1806-1872).
Charles 2nd Duke of Richmond, by Jean-Baptiste Van Loo.* Father of Louisa Conolly and Emily Duchess of Leinster; this portrait formerly hung at Carton, Co. Kildare. It was purchased by Lord Carew in 1949 for £4.
Furniture
Pair of George III giltwood serving tables.
Pair of nineteenth century Georgian style mahogany side stables. 20th century copy of an Irish Georgian mahogany hunt or wake table. Made by James Hicks of Dublin.
The 12 Chippendale mahogany dining chairs are early 20th century copies of Castletown originals.
Pair of Meissen gilt campana vases, c. 19th reputedly wedding presents to Thomas Conolly (1823-76) from Napoleon III, Emperor of France.
