About the author

I entered University College Cork in 2005 as a mature student and received my BA (Hons) in 2008.  I took Art History and English.  During this time I was introduced to the topic of the Grand Tour and its Irish flavour by Professor Emeritus Tom Dunne.

Intending to continue my research into aspects of Irish art history, in 2009 I began a M.Phil in Irish Art History at TRIARC in Trinity College Dublin and was awarded my Masters in 2011.  My thesis was on the botanical artist Lydia Shackleton.

I remain interested in the Irish Grand Tour and its tourists.  Currently I am conducting doctoral research into issues of style and taste in the creation of Bantry House and its demesne, particularly in regard to Richard White (1800-1868), 2nd Earl of Bantry and Lord Berehaven, who was an avid art collector and Grand Tourist.