Historic Houses of Ireland Autumn School Conference 2025

***SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED- SEE BOTTOM OF DESCRIPTION***

We are delighted to announce our second Autumn School Conference sponsored by Wilderway, Carlow County Council, Green Belt, Liberty Wines, Imagineear Ltd, Tigercomb and Ecclesiastical Insurance.

The two day conference on Tuesday October 21st and Wednesday October 22nd in Lisnavagh House, Co. Carlow is our flagship event, bringing together Historic Houses of Ireland members, heritage partners and the general public for two days of panel discussions, networking and taking concrete steps to a better future for our built and natural heritage.

This years theme is "Living Heritage: Public, Private and Shared Futures for Historic Houses".  

Tuesday will be an afternoon of panels and then a networking dinner (tickets sold separately to ALL conference tickets).

Wednesday will be a full day of panels with lunch provided.

Join us for two days of fascinating conversations, a wide array of panels and a look into the future of heritage in independent ownership.

SCHEDULE AND SPEAKERS

Tuesday:

13.30 Arrival Tea and Coffee

14.15 Edible Estates: Historic Houses as a Destination for Food, Drink and Hospitality. Moderated by Santina Kennedy, this panel will include Darina Allen, Kate McCabe of Bog and Thunder, Waterford Food Festival's Eunice Power and food writer Kate Ryan.

15.10 Beyond the Red Tape: The Planning Permission Frontier- in collaboration with An Taisce. A panel and the challenges and opportunities when it comes to planning permission with architect Robin Mandal, Ian Lumley and Carlow County Council moderated by Thomas Emmet.

16.05 Activating Heritage: Events in Historic Houses, Big and Small. Moderated by Whitestown's Aoife Keogh this will include Sybil Cope of Knockelly Castle, Roland Purcell of Killyon and Catherine Fitzgerald of Glin Castle

17.00 End of Day

19.00 Speakers and Networking Dinner- Wine Sponsored by Liberty Wines. A tour of Lisnavagh House by William Bunbury, prosecco reception and dinner.

Wednesday

09.30 Arrival Tea and Coffee

10.15 Vernacular Spectacular: The Future of Thatched Cottages and Vernacular Buildings. A panel including Trohanny Cottage, Thatched Insurance Action Group's Ciaran McDonnell and vernacular owner Katarina McNabb, moderated by Tom Pollard Co ordinator of the All Ireland Heritage Skills Programme through The King’s Foundation and The Heritage Council.

11.10 Heritage Goes Viral: Preserving the Past, Posting the Present. A social media panel moderated by Laura Fitzachary and featuring Aoife Byrne of Potter and Byrne and Carol Anne Nash of Clonalis House.

12.05 Land Legacy and Landscape: Financing Nature Restoration on your Estate- sponsored by Wilderway. Featuring panellists from Wilderway (Laura Schefold, Credit Development Manager), ReFarm (Dr. Kate Harrington, Postdoctoral Researcher) and Peatland Finance Ireland (Shane McGuinness).

13.00 Lunch

14.30 Inheriting Memory: Preserving and Sharing Family Histories and Archives. Stuart Cole of Adam's, Jeremy Hill of Monksgrange, Jackie Crowley of Castle Leslie and Natasha Serne of the Royal Dublin Society explore how to maintain and display cherished collections.

15.25 Creative Spaces, Historic Places: Panellists on the creativity that can be achieved in historic houses through unique events and people.

16.20 Framing the Past: Film, Photography and Historic HousesHistoric house locations are discussed by Anthony Ardee, Location Fixer's Sarah Maunsell, production designer Paki Smith and locations manager Gordon Wycherley.

17.15 End of Programme

About Historic Houses of Ireland:

Historic Houses of Ireland (HHI) is a registered charity founded in 2008 to support the preservation and future of Ireland’s historic homes, estates, gardens, and archives still in private hands. By representing its members and advocating on their behalf, HHI works to raise public awareness of these vital cultural and natural assets while fostering dialogue with policymakers to ensure their sustainability. Our membership spans the spectrum from thatched cottages and modest country houses to Ireland's most iconic castles and estates. While many have been in the same hands for generations, an increasing number are more recently acquired by owners passionate about preserving heritage. Our members also play a key role in protecting Ireland’s precious biodiversity and native habitats, with many estates safeguarding centuries-old parklands and woodlands that support Ireland’s flora and fauna. Through heritage, hospitality, and conservation, HHI members contribute to local economies, rural development, and environmental stewardship—preserving not only the buildings themselves, but the communities and landscapes that surround them.

PROUDLY PARTNERED BY: Castleacre Insurance, Adam's Auctioneeers, Sherry Fitzgerald, Graphenstone Paints, AirBnB.