The Destruction of the Country House in Ireland, 1879–1973

Abstract

In the late nineteenth century, country houses in Ireland, as throughout the United Kingdom, were symbols of social, economic and political elitism. The later irreversible decline of country houses in changing socio-political and economic conditions was hastened by the growth of Irish nationalism and their demonisation as representatives of colonial oppression and decadence. During the revolutionary years, 1916–1923, rhetoric gave way to physical attacks and the burning of at least 300 country houses. After independence, successive Irish governments gave little support to preserving these houses, but even if they had done so, Irish country houses were simply unsustainable in the post-independence economic climate. Effectively, their day had come and gone. From the 1920s, impoverished owners abandoned hundreds of houses to dereliction or demolition. Other houses were sold off to become schools, state institutions, research centres and hotels. There are still a significant number of Irish houses owned by their original families. With few exceptions, however, the existence of these properties is threatened by inadequate income and State support.