A Guide to Sources for the History of Material Culture in Ireland, 1500-2000

Abstract

Toby Barnard. Four Courts Press, 2005. 128 pp plus 16 page plate section. €19.95/£14.95/$24.95 paperback. ISBN 1–85182–822–2. €45/£40/$45 hardback. ISBN 1–85182–951–2. Irish culture is often regarded as pre-eminently literary, verbal and musical. The study of Irish visual culture has been relegated to a subordinate place in Irish studies. Everyday objects and the handcrafted artefacts and mass produced designs used by Irish people in the past have just as much significance as in countries with a stronger tradition of awareness of material culture. This pioneering guide to the sources and scholarship of Irish material culture by the leading historian in the field opens up the case for material culture studies in the wider context of Irish historical studies. The focus throughout the guide reflects Dr Barnard's own areas of interest in seventeenth- and eighteenth- century Ireland. Therefore the emphasis is on the period before even limited small-scale mass-production of goods was possible. This book gives an overview of the current state of Irish material culture studies, surveys recent research in the areas of design history, handcraft and the decorative arts generally, and outlines the current concerns of scholars working in this area and related fields. The definition of material culture is broad but its main focus reflects research already undertaken in particular areas such as the vernacular tradition of country furniture, significant new research on Irish glass, ceramics, silver, bookbinding, plasterwork, interior architecture and cabinet-making. There are fewer references to dress and clothing, textiles, jewellery history and mass-produced objects.