Donaghmore Workhouse and Agricultural Museum

Rathdowney, Co. Laois www.donaghmoremuseum.ie By Tony Canavan Situated between the M7 and M8, near the town of Rathdowney, the Donaghmore Workhouse and Agricultural Museum is worth leaving the motorway for if you want to break your journey. This complex of buildings has survived almost intact since the mid-nineteenth century despite undergoing a number of changes … Read more

Ford Madox Brown

Born to British parents in Calais in 1821, Ford Madox Brown was educated at art schools in Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp and Paris before moving to London in 1846. In 1848 he received a letter from a young student at the Royal Academy asking whether he would consent to tutor him. Brown agreed and thus came … Read more