“As our national character is now forming”: Antiquarianism, the Fine Arts, and Protestant Identity in Eighteenth-Century Ireland
Supervised by Dr Kyle Leyden and Dr Esther Chadwick
Funded by AHRC/CHASE
My research considers the role of antiquarianism in the construction of a pseudo-history of ancient Ireland by the Protestant landowning classes in the late eighteenth century. Through examining a range of visual sources – works on paper, landscapes and history paintings – I analyse the visualisation of an imagined past in the progress from patriotism, to rebellion, and eventually, to union with Britain.
Education:
2024-present: PhD student, Courtauld Institute of Art
2019-2020: MA Eighteenth Century Studies, King’s College London
2014-2018: BA History, Trinity College Dublin
Professional Experience:
- Curatorial Assistant, Christ Church Picture Gallery, Oxford (2021-2024)
- Heritage Centre Intern, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Dublin (2019)
Research Interests:
- Eighteenth-century British and Irish art
- Antiquarianism
- Collecting, patronage and display
- Visual and material culture
- Enlightenment and Romanticism
- National identity
