An Irishman's Diary on Basil Zaharoff

Sir Basil Zaharoff (1849-1936) rose from extremely humble origins to become one of the world's wealthiest men. I have just written an Irishman's Diary in the Irish Times newspaper about his life and times. Read it here.

Photograph of Basil Zaharoff. Image source: Gallica

After making his fortune from arms dealing, Zaharoff bought the Chateau de Balincourt outside Paris and lived there. In an effort to remain anonymous and guard his privacy, he reportedly bought up all the postcards he could that featured an image of the house. Find out more about this enigmatic character who spent his lifetime covering up his past here.

Image was important to Zaharoff. He wanted to be associated with philanthropy and not with arms and munitions, where he actually made his money. To this end, he made donations to prestigious universities in the UK, France and elsewhere. In the Sorbonne University in Paris, the 'Earl Haig Chair of English Literature' was established in 1918. Meanwhile, across the Channel in Oxford University, the 'Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature' was set up. It is not clear what happened to the position in the Sorbonne, but it doesn't seem to exist anymore. The current holder of the position in Oxford is Catriona Seth. Read more about the history of these academic positions here.

Another aspect of Zaharoff's donation was the annual Zaharoff Lecture, which takes place in Oxford University. At these lectures, prominent French writers are invited to speak about their work. The 2018 lecture was given by the award-winning author, Pierre Michon.

Book review - The Building Site in Eighteenth-Century Ireland

During the eighteenth-century, the Protestant Ascendancy were stamping their mark on the physical landscape of Ireland. This was seen in the large private houses and estates that were built all around the country and in the planned estate towns such as Abbeyleix.

I have just written a book review of The Building Site in Eighteenth-century Ireland by Arthur Gibney in the peer-reviewed academic journal Irish Studies Review. Follow this link for the article.

Front cover of The Building Site in Eighteenth-Century Ireland.

The book's author, Arthur Gibney (1933-2006), was one of the leading architects of his generation. When he graduated in 1958, he went to work with Michael Scott, who had designed Busáras, the new central bus station in Dublin. Two years later, Gibney went into partnership with Sam Stephenson. Together, they were responsible for many new buildings, including the controversial ESB headquarters on Dublin’s Fitzwilliam Street, along with other office blocks around the capital. When he split from Stephenson, Gibney established his own practice where he designed new buildings but also restored historic buildings. Through these renovation and conservation projects, he gained an invaluable insight into old building techniques.

As Gibney states in the book, the eighteenth-century buildings of Ireland can be book-ended between the construction of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham (completed 1684), designed by William Robinson, and the Four Courts (completed 1802), designed by Thomas Cooley and James Gandon. Below are photographs of these two fine buildings.

Courtyard of Royal Hospital Kilmainham.

Dublin Four Courts. Image source: Wikimedia Commons