Georgian survivor with an air of genteel elegance

Tommy Barker takes a closer look at Chiplee, a microcosm of pure Cork.

NOT a lot changed in Chiplee during its last owners’ half century here: simply, they lived here, loved it, had a great family life, and enjoyed every inch of it, inside and out, right down to the old building, Jenny’s House, for the pet donkey by its entrance gate.

As home to the late Cork art collectors Dr JB and Rhoda Kearney and their four children, this genuine family home housed a remarkable collection of top Irish art, by a list of great names as well as some famous world-class painters, but is in itself a bit of a faded canvas in need of sensitive restoration.