DUBLIN: These and many other questions will be examined in Dublin on Wednesday when the Irish Georgian Society, the National Museum of Ireland and Maynooth University put a major spotlight on silver. A day-long symposium at the National Museum of Ireland Collins Barracks will see scholars from Ireland, the UK and Europe present the latest research on Irish Georgian silver; there will also be a tour of the museum’s silver galleries, which are celebrating their 21st birthday this year.
The 18th century was a boom period in Ireland, with new technologies and fashionable imports adding to the ever-increasing appetite for luxury goods. There were, however, tensions between manufacturers and retailers, as well as concerns about how British imports were impacting on the Dublin market – a subject which could hardly be more topical.