Commissioned by then Archbishop of Dublin, Charles Cobbe for celebrated architect, James Gibbs to design and plan, Newbridge House has remained a permanent fixture in Donabate since it was first built in 1747.
The imposing building, still residence to the Cobbe family, is a treasure chest of antiquity, complete with ancient artwork, Victorian furniture, curios and rooms steeped in history.
The Fingal Independent speaks to Cathal O Dowd Smith, curator of Newbridge House, to gain something of his encyclopedic knowledge of the great house.
He says: I ve been curator at Newbridge House for two years, two years in spring. I ve been here for eight years and I ve been in the role of curator the past two years. I started as a tour guide then I went to Trinity and I did art history and history, then I graduated in 2018 and I was offered the position then. While I was studying I had been doing conservation courses and specialising in collection care and then the role came up once Shannon