Portlaoise plane set for take-off on TV
Tuesday, August 03, 2021
By Carmel Hayes
THE famous Portlaoise plane is set for take-off on TV, after a recording session in the town today.
Cameras rolled as a team from RTÉ arrived to film the 112-year-old Portlaoise Flyer, which recently returned to its home town following a magnificent restoration.
The plane built by the Aldritt brothers, with the help of master carpenter John Conroy, will feature on the
Nationwide programme during Heritage Week on Wednesday 18 August.
Laois heritage officer Catherine Casey said the team had “a super fun day” filming a piece on the Col Fitzmaurice newspaper archive and the beautiful plane, which in 1909 was the first plane to fly in what later became the Republic of Ireland.
Conservation in action: Cleaning Horace Walpole s library
Strawberry Hill House. Photo: Matt Chung.
TWICKENHAM
.- To the untrained eye, it might look like glorified housework - but maintaining the treasures of Strawberry Hill House, requires expert conservation. Now, for the first time ever, visitors to Horace Walpoles gothic castle in Twickenham can learn how historic books are cared for.
When Horace Walpole (1717-97) acquired Strawberry Hill in 1747 then a modest cottage it soon became apparent that he needed a library. A bibliophile, he already owned over 1000 volumes, which were crammed into his study. So, as he set about transforming his property into a gothic fantasy castle, Walpole had his friends, the architect John Chute (1701-76) and designer Richard Bentley (1708-82) assist him with realising a grand design for the ever-burgeoning collection. Indeed, such was his passion that, when he died in 1797, Walpole had amassed around 8,000 volumes of books, manuscript
In this episode, Editor Sydny Shepard sits down with Scott Francis, Technical Sales Manager for Westex: A Milliken Brand, to discuss new additions and clarifications in the latest edition of NFPA 70E.