The Irish Times

It was Maynooth Castle's picturesque image that shaped architect Shane de Blacam's approach to the task of knitting a modern intervention into one of the country's most historic buildings. "It's in an ideal setting by the river," says Mr de Blacam, "and that understanding of the picturesque setting was, I felt, important from the beginning." Before the work on the castle began in 2000, it was very much a ruin with no roof, four walls and difficult and dangerous access. There is an active local conservation committee in Maynooth which had lobbied hard for work to be done on the castle to conserve it while also making it more accessible to visitors.