The Irish Times

Michael Scott

Michael Scott was an extraordinary human being, a true Renaissance man. Not only was he one of Ireland's leading architects, he was also an actor, an artist, a patron of the arts, a bon viveur and a raconteur. So it is entirely fitting that a centenary exhibition to commemorate his life and work is called Master of All the Muses. Designed by Scott Tallon Walker, successor of the architectural partnership he founded in 1959, the exhibition at Cork's Crawford Gallery features drawings and photographs of his most important buildings, portraits by Robert Ballagh, Louis le Brocquy and Seán O'Sullivan, film footage, medals and topographical sketches. Had he lived, Scott would have been 100 years old last Friday. He died in January 1989 at the age of 83 in Geragh, the iconic house he designed for himself and his family beside the Martello Tower in Sandycove in the late 1930s; he and his house formed an indelible image of "modern" architecture in Ireland for more than 50 years.