Eileen Gray Bridge campaign begins
GUEST SPEAKER at the launch of the Soul Of The Machine album Aidan Ryan called on any politician present to take up the mantle of bringing the Eileen Gray Exhibition currently housed at Collins Barracks to Enniscorthy Castle, and Aidan also proposed that the new bridge planned for Enniscorthy be called the Eileen Gray Bridge.
Local historian Aidan was giving a talk on the history of Brownswood House and its most famous occupant at the launch of a musical tribute to her created and produced by Stuart and Angela Maye-Banbury from Leicester, England, at the castle on Friday evening, February 17.
The mantle was immediately taken up by the next speaker of the evening, TD James Browne, who told Aidan and the castle audience that he agreed with the sentiment and would be happy to lobby the powers that be to have the Eileen Gray Exhibition housed at Enniscorthy and the new bridge called after her. Indeed, James went a step further, saying that he would have liked to have seen the Eileen Gray commemorative coin launched in the town. James presented Angela Maye-Banbury with a commemorative coin from Enniscorthy Municipal District Council. Dr Angela Maye-Banbury spoke of her visit to Enniscorthy in 2015 to research Eileen Gray, who became the inspiration behind the Soul Of The Machine album. It was not a commercial venture, she said, and both herself and Stuart would like all proceed to go to the Eileen Gray Exhibition at Enniscorthy Castle. She was both touched and flattered with the presentation she said and also with the wonderful Reception at the beautiful castle complete with Enniscorthy Historic Re-enactment society adding colour, ambience and panache to the proceedings in fabulous 1920s attire in keeping with the Eileen Gray era. The Re-enactors were thanked for their dedication to tourism.