|
This module begins by providing an in-depth examination of the reasons for the decline of Irish country houses from the late nineteenth century onwards. It looks at the impact that the Great Famine, the Land War of the 1880s, the Land Acts from 1870 to 1909, the economic fallout from post—war global depression, the Great War 1914-18, and the revolutionary period 1919-23 all had on landed families and their homes. The focus then turns to the struggle for survival that faced big house owners in independent Ireland. It considers questions of management, sustainability and public and political perceptions of these houses up to the present day. It also introduces comparative aspects with country houses in Britain and wider Europe.
|