The gripping story of the tumultuous destruction of the Irish country
house, spanning the revolutionary years of 1912 to 1923
During the Irish Revolution nearly three hundred country houses were
burned to the ground. These "Big Houses" were powerful symbols of
conquest, plantation, and colonial oppression and were caught up in the
struggle for independence and the conflict between the aristocracy and
those demanding access to more land. Stripped of their most important
artifacts, most of the houses were never rebuilt, and ruins such as
Summerhill stood like ghostly figures for generations to come.
Terence Dooley offers a unique perspective on the Irish Revolution,
exploring the struggles over land, the impact of the Great War, and why
the country mansions of the landed class became such a symbolic target
for republicans throughout the period. Dooley details the shockingly
sudden acts of occupation and destruction--including soldiers using a
Rembrandt as a dart board--and evokes the exhilaration felt by the
revolutionaries at seizing these grand houses and visibly overturning
the established order.