The Sunday Times

Perhaps only the Abbey and Gate theatres can claim greater cultural hegemony in Ireland. And even they are indebted for their architecture to the company founded by Michael Scott in 1929. Scott Tallon Walker (STW), re-formed as a partnership in 1960, has dominated the Irish architectural landscape through most of its existence. For three generations, an elegant white room overlooking Dublin’s premier square has been the cockpit of Irish architecture. But the personalities of the two men who succeeded each other in the art-filled front room on the first floor of 19 Merrion Square could hardly have been more different. Michael Scott, the late actor turned architect and champion of the arts, was a small, energetic extrovert. A ladies’ man and party animal, he was a legendary figure about town. His dramatic life and unrivalled cultural influence form the subject of a frank documentary directed by his daughter, Ciarin Scott, which will be broadcast on RTE1 on Tuesday.