At the end of these great contributions which cover so many aspects of Niall, I just wanted to say a few words about how we worked together, simply because our life and work was so enmeshed and most of our interests were harnessed in making architecture, that you can’t leave an evening like this without some reference to it. We started working together very early on in our careers and had an incredibly creative partnership over a very long time. Work was always inspired by looking deeply at architecture, ancient and modern, and investigating it by drawing - people tonight have mentioned very pivotal times like the year we spent in Rome. In starting the design of a building, we used to work from opposite ends of an idea because we’re different people - he carving out space from solids, me building up space from a collage of overlapping elements, and it often took a bold move from one of us on the others’ sketch – to say - couldn’t it be that? - to nudge the scribble into something that had a spark, and to kick the idea in a new direction.

Drawing was a conversation between us where one line completed the thought of the other – it was a shorthand – not always easy, with plenty of creative tensions. As we developed our thinking it was clear our characters and ways of working sometimes led us off in quite different directions, like working through Newton’s Theory of Approximations, where we’d start from wildly opposed positions, and swing back and forth, getting closer in each iteration until we almost coincided. There would be inspiration from painting, drawings, buildings and spaces visited, films, books, photography - things would be tested in card and paper models and cut about until we found ourselves in a vague equilibrium of geometry and form. We loved working like that, it was the most exciting and inspiring work method, with many sparks and moments of deep gloom, until something in a simple move, became right and we’d both know it.

Of course that’s how many architects who work in collaboration actually realise buildings… and in our case as great people joined us they became part of that working method. I hope we who are left will continue collaborating in that way, even without Niall, and we often find ourselves saying at a particular crossroads of a design – what would Niall think about that – usually knowing - not very much, and that we all needed to work a bit harder. We’re particularly delighted that Niall’s last building that he saw through almost to completion – the Printing House Square building here in Trinity – has just been occupied by students this week.

I want to thank you all so much for being here to celebrate Niall and his legacy, particularly the Provost, and Trinity College for hosting this beautiful evening, Nathalie and Hannah in the Irish Architecture Foundation, all of the speakers and Eddie, our moderator, who have made really wonderful and insightful presentations. And, of course, our great team at the office, some of whom are here this evening, particularly Caoimhe, who worked with Hannah to coordinate everything this evening, Ronan and Cora who have been project architects extraordinaires on the Printing House Square building, and my amazing co-directors, Ruth and Corán.

So thanks everybody, and lets enjoy some refreshments and talk some more. 

—Valerie Mulvin, McCullough Mulvin Architects