EMO COURT
April 2025 – September 2027
Emo Park, Emo, County Laois
Crawford Art Gallery is delighted to loan three objects from its decorative art collection to Emo Court.
Emo Court was once the largest country estate in Ireland. Set within beautiful parkland, this neoclassical mansion was designed in 1790 by the eminent architect James Gandon (1743-1823) for John Dawson, first Earl of Portarlington. In more recent times, it was home to the distinguished Jesuit photographer, Fr. Frank Browne (1880-1960), and the author and broadcaster Benedict Kiely (1919-2007). It was accepted into State care by President Mary Robinson in 1994.
Displayed within the fine interior of Emo Court, the three objects on loan are: an Empire style chair, once owned by art collector Hugh Lane at his Cheyne Walk home in London, with lion-head armrest terminals. It was presented to Crawford Art Gallery by the Friends of the National Collections of Ireland (FNCI) in 1960; a large alabaster urn with Bacchanalian motifs that once stood on the windowsill of Crawford Art Gallery’s main staircase and, subsequently, in its wood-panelled library; and a mahogany Georgian sofa table, formerly owned by the Penrose family of Woodhill, Cork, which has shallow drawers, foldable leaves, and castors. It has been in the collection since 2008 when it was presented as part of the Cooper Penrose Collection by John and Helena Mooney.
Crawford Art Gallery wishes to thank the OPW team at Emo Court.
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