b'MONACOThe Ireland Funds Monaco Residential BursariesAwarded biannually, The Ireland Funds Monaco Residential Bursaries were established to enable writers born or living in Ireland to pursue a current project during a one-month residency at the Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco. We are pleased to present these personal reflections writ-ten by authors Dr. Tony McCarthy and Professor Thomas Bartlett on their experiences in Monaco.Dr. Tony McCarthyDr. Tony McCarthy was Writer in Residence at the Princess Grace Irish Library in March of 2019. An accountant by profession, Tony has spent most of his working life working in the investment business. He holds an MBA from University College Dublin, and a MA in history from Maynooth University. In 2017 he received his PhD from Maynooth University for his thesis From landlord to rentier: The Wyndham land Act 1903 and its economic consequences for Irish landlords 1903-1933. His publications include The Shaws of Terenure, A 19th century Dublin merchant family, and The Irish Land Act 1923 in A Formative Decade, Ireland in the 1920s. He is currently working on a book on George Wyndhams time in Ireland and is co-editing a book on British and Irish Land Reform.March of 2019will live long in my memory as being a time ofUnlike many of my predecessors, my wife Anita accompanied me for great fulfilment, adventure and personal exploration. Immersing myselfthe entire month in Monaco. I found this hugely beneficial in that it in the magnificent literary delights of the Princess Grace Irish Libraryenabled me to settle-in very quickly and allowed me to share the won-(PGIL) and the many wonders of Monaco gave rise in me of a sense ofderful experiences presented. It also meant that we were better able privilege and excitement for which I shall be eternally grateful to Theto integrate into the local environment through attendance at concerts Ireland Funds for providing me with the opportunity by awarding mein the Grimaldi Forum, in the Opra de Monte-Carlo and travelling the Writer in Residence bursary.to various locations along the Cte dAzur and the Italian Riviera at Arriving every morning to the PGIL was to me like entering Dis- weekends. neys Magic Kingdom before any tourists arrived, the picture postcardIn terms of highlights of my time in the Principality, the St Pat-streets, the utter cleanliness of the Rocher could not but raise onesricks Day concert in the Library and the introduction to HSH Prince spirits.Albert II of Monaco was of great note. A private out of hours visit to the For someone who has spent most of his life engaged in the cutCasino in preparation for my talk to the Friends of the Library was also and thrust of business the opportunity to immerse oneself in full timea highlight as indeed was the talk itself. In a month full of highlights, it writing in such a beautiful and inspiring place can only be viewed as,is hard to be overly selective in terms of standout moments or events.a not to be squandered once in a lifetime opportunity. Whether it wasWhat does stand out however was the kindness shown by so many this sense, the ambience of the PGIL whereby one is surrounded by sopeople associated with both the Library and The Irelands Funds in par-many great literary treasures or the realisation that you are following inticular, Sile Jackson and the late Francis OHara who went out of their such illustrious footsteps make it difficult not to be focussed on the jobway to make me feel part of the community. It would however be sin-in hand. In my case, I completed an essay entitled A Sporting Politician:gularly remiss of me not to thank the two rocks upon which the PGIL George Wyndham (1863-1913) which has now been published by Fourexists namely Judith Gantley and Graldine Lance. From the moment Courts Press as part of the Sport and Leisure in the Irish and British CountryI was awarded the bursary to the day I returned home, both Judith and House collection. I also wrote an essay From Landlord to Rentier: TheGraldine took enormous care of me thus ensuring that March 2019 and Wealth Management Practices of Irish Landlords 1903-1933 which willMonaco will forever live in my memory as a moment of forever. be included in forthcoming publication by Edinburgh University Press relating to British and Irish Land Reform.connect 2020108'