Destruction of Irish country houses (1919-1923)

The destruction of country houses in Ireland was a phenomenon of the Irish revolutionary period (1919–1923), which saw approximately 275 country houses deliberately burned down, blown up, or otherwise destroyed by the Irish Republican Army (IRA).^[1]

The vast majority of the houses, known in Ireland as Big Houses, belonged the Anglo-Irish aristocracy of the Protestant Ascendancy, although the houses of some Roman Catholic unionists and/or suspected informers were also targeted. Although the practice by the IRA of destroying country houses began in the Irish War of Independence, most of the buildings were destroyed during the Irish Civil War (1922-23).^[2] Today, most of the targeted buildings are in ruins or have been demolished, although some have been restored.

The Big House as a target

Ballynastragh House depicted in 1826, typical of the 'Big Houses' targeted by the IRA.

By the start of the Irish revolutionary period in 1919, the Big House had become symbolic of the perceived or actual dominance of the Anglo-Irish class in Ireland at the expense of the 'native' Roman Catholic population, particularly in the south of Ireland.^[3] The Anglo-Irish, as a class, were generally opposed to the notions of Irish independence and held key positions in the British administration of Ireland. The Irish nationalist narrative maintained that the land of Irishmen had been illegally stolen from them by the landowning aristocracy, who had mostly arrived in Ireland as Protestant settlers of The Crown during the late 16th and 17th centuries. The Irish Big House was at the administrative centre of the estates of the landowners, as well as being the family seat from which the Anglo-Irish exerted their political control over the island.^[4]

This perception was popularly held by nationalists, despite a considerable increase in Irish landownership in the previous decades due to the Irish Land Acts. Whereas in 1870, 97% of land was owned by landlords and 50% by just 750 families, by 1916, 70% of Irish farmers owned their own land.^[5] Catholics had been emancipated in 1829 and the political dominance of the Anglo-Irish in Ireland had been restricted following the electoral success of Irish Parliamentary Party.^[6]

Irish War of Independence

In the destruction of the country houses of the aristocracy and landed gentry, the IRA hoped to overcome a culture of deference towards the landowning class.^[7]

As early as 1918, IRA organiser Ernie O'Malley had his Volunteers train in demesne grounds in order to, "rid them of their inherent respect for the owners". During the Irish War of Independence, country houses were targeted in reprisal for the destruction of houses by the British Army, who took to burning or defacing the homes of nationalists engaged in actions against the British administration in Ireland. Usually the local Big House and landowner had no influence over British military policy in the area, and the reprisal attack by the IRA would be carried out on the assumption that all Anglo-Irish were loyalists.

A total of 30 "Big Houses" were burned in 1920 and another 46 in the first half of 1921, mostly in the conflict's Munster heartland, i.e. counties Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, Clare and Limerick.^[8] Relatively few houses were burnt between 1919–21, and were not made the subject of a concerted campaign until the Irish Civil War.^[9]

Irish Civil War

The ruins of Woodstock House in County Kilkenny, which was attacked on 2 July 1922 during the Civil War.

It is believed that 199 country houses were destroyed during the Civil War.^[10] The leadership of the Anti-Treaty forces orchestrated a campaign of Big House destruction across Ireland. Most country houses were isolated and in rural areas, and targeting them forced the National Army to allocate their stretched resources to protecting landowners, while also creating an atmosphere of panic among the Anglo-Irish. As such, the country house was regarded by the IRA as a "soft target".^[11] Attacks were planned and organised, and generally focused on Irish peers who had sat in the House of Lords, members of the Senate of the Irish Free State and former Irish Unionist Party politicians.^[12]

Members of the gentry, such as British Army officers, Church of Ireland clergymen and Justices of the Peace, were also targeted. The house of the President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State, W. T. Cosgrave, was burned down in January 1923.^[13] The Foxrock, County Dublin home of the Anglo-Irish politician Sir Horace Plunkett, a distant relation to Count Plunkett, was burnt down in 1923, despite his reputation as a social reformer.^[14]

Some houses were also attacked to prevent them being used as garrisons by Free State forces, such as Ballycarty House. The size of the buildings targeted ranged from small country houses to palatial stately homes. Most buildings were destroyed by being set on fire, their interiors having been doused in petrol, although in some instances houses were blown up using high explosives. The attempt to burn down Burton Hall, Stillorgan, the home of Henry Guinness, in March 1923 failed. The IRA attackers were usually in groups of between 10 and 20 men.

In the majority of cases, no one was injured during the destruction of the house. It is recorded that in several cases, members of the IRA helped the targeted family to remove their possessions from the house before it was destroyed. When the house of Dermot Bourke, 7th Earl of Mayo, was attacked on 29 January 1923, he described the IRA guerillas as being "excessively polite" and apologetic. Nonetheless, there were incidents of violence and deaths in such attacks. The Church of Ireland Gazette recorded numerous instances of Unionists and Loyalists being shot, burned out or otherwise forced from their homes during the early 1920s.

In County Cork, between 1920 and 1923, the IRA shot more than 200 civilians, of whom more than 70 (or 36%) were Protestants: five times the percentage of Protestants in the civilian population. Mrs. Mary Lindsay, an elderly Protestant from Coachford, was shot and killed, with her driver, in an outbuilding while her house was burning, after the authorities refused to commute the capital sentences of six IRA volunteers who were executed after Mrs. Lindsay had informed the authorities of a pending nearby ambush. Senator John Philip Bagwell was kidnapped during the attack on his home. Country houses were often looted during and following their destruction, and in most cases a family's possessions were entirely destroyed. The library of George Moore, containing ancient manuscripts relating to Irish and world history, was entirely destroyed in February 1923.^[15]

Not all such houses were regarded by the IRA as targets. Mount Trenchard House in County Kerry was the home of Mary Spring Rice, a nationalist activist, and the building was used by the IRA as a safe house.

Aftermath

The ruins of Moore Hall, County Mayo, which was abandoned after being burnt down by the IRA in 1923.

Most of the big houses targeted by the IRA were abandoned following the attack. The widespread use of petrol and other incendiaries ensured that the most of the buildings were completely gutted by fire and rendered uninhabitable. The state of the buildings, as well as fear of a repeat attack, meant that very few of the country houses were rebuilt. Most were demolished, while others remain as ruins. Most of the owners sought compensation from the Irish Free State government. Ebenezer Pike claimed £62,000 for the destruction of Kilcronagh House, arguing that his loses were "enormous, for valuable furniture, paintings, and art treasures were all consumed in the flames."^[16] William Downes Webber sought compensation from the Irish Free State totaling £149,000 for the rebuilding and £18,000 for the contents of Mitchelstown Castle; £27,500 for the building and £18,000 for the contents was eventually awarded by the Irish state in 1926.

The period of the destruction of the Big House came to play an important part in Irish culture.^[17][18][19] William Butler Yeats decried the targeting of Big Houses in the poem Meditations in Time of Civil War (1924), and lamented the concurrent passing of Anglo-Irish culture in Ireland.^[17]

In The Last September (1929) the Big House was mythologised by Elizabeth Bowen as an ideal of civilisation and order, yet one which had its origins in injustice and could not be expected to survive in the modern world.^[17]

Resurgence during The Troubles

During The Troubles in Northern Ireland, the practice of targeting "Big House" was revived by the Irish Republican Army, although there were relatively few of these in the six counties. Most notoriously, Tynan Abbey was attacked on the night of 21 January 1981. The 86-year-old Sir Norman Stronge, Bt., and his only son, James, 48 (both former MPs), were killed by the PIRA attackers. The house was then burnt to the ground. The bodies of the father and son were later recovered from their blazing home.^[20][21]

List of houses destroyed

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House	Location	County	Owner or occupier	Date of attack	Current state
Aasleagh Lodge	Aghagower	County Mayo	George Browne, 6th Marquess of Sligo	1923	Rebuilt
Annaskeagh House	Dundalk	County Louth	A. N. Sheridan JP	February 1923	Demolished
Antrim Castle	Antrim	County Antrim	Algernon Skeffington, 12th Viscount Massereene	28 October 1922	Demolished
Ardamine House	Gorey	County Wexford	Major A. W. Mordaunt-Richards	9 July 1921	Demolished
Ardtully House	Kilgarvan	County Kerry	Raymond William Orpen	1921	Abandoned as ruins
Artramon House	Wexford	County Wexford	Sir George Le Hunte	February 1923	Rebuilt; now a hotel
Askeaton Hall	Askeaton	County Limerick	Charles Arthur Spring	1 February 1923	Demolished
Ballybay House	Ballybay	County Monaghan	Edward John Henry Leslie	June 1921	Demolished
Ballycarty House	Tralee	County Kerry	Nash family	January 1923	Abandoned as ruins
Ballydonnellan Castle	Killalaghtan	County Galway	Donnellan family	January 1923	Abandoned as ruins
Ballynastragh House	Gorey	County Wexford	Sir Thomas Esmonde, 11th Baronet	9 March 1923	Demolished; smaller house was later built on the site
Ballyrankin House	Bunclody	County Wexford	Walter Clarmont Skrine	July 1921	Abandoned as ruins
Ballywater House	Castletownroche	County Cork	S. G. Penrose Welsted	30 April 1921	Abandoned as ruins
Bearforest	Mallow	County Cork	Major Charles Purdon Coote	1 June 1921	Rebuilt
Beech Park House	Ballyboden	County Dublin	W. T. Cosgrave	January 1923	Demolished
Bellevue House	Ballyhogue	County Wexford	Lady Jane Emma Power	February 1923	Abandoned as ruins
Burgatia House	Rosscarbery	County Cork	Thomas Kingston	February 1921	Demolished
Cahermore House	Rosscarbery	County Cork	Hungerford family	June 1921	Demolished
Cappoquin House	Lismore	County Waterford	Lady Adelaide Keane	1923	Rebuilt
Castleboro House	Castleboro	County Wexford	Robert Carew, 3rd Baron Carew	April 1923	Abandoned as ruins
Castlehacket	Tuam	County Galway	Bernard Percy Broderick	1923	Demolished; smaller house built on the site
Castle Cooke	Fermoy	County Cork	Colonel William Cooke-Collis	7 June 1920	Demolished
Castle Bernard	Bandon	County Cork	James Bernard, 4th Earl of Bandon	21 June 1921	Abandoned as ruins
Castle Gore	Crossmolina	County Mayo	Arthur Gore, 6th Earl of Arran	1922	Abandoned as ruins
Castle Mary	Cloyne	County Cork	Colonel Mountifort J. C. Longfield	19 December 1920	Demolished
Cecilstown Lodge	Mallow	County Cork	Esther Jane and Annie Jones	3 June 1921	Rebuilt
Clonyn Castle	Delvin	County Westmeath	Hon. Patrick Greville-Nugent	March 1923	Rebuilt
Comeragh House	Kilmacthomas	County Waterford	Captain Fairholme	1923	Rebuilt
Convamore House	Ballyhooly	County Cork	William Hare, 3rd Earl of Listowel	30 April 1921	Abandoned as ruins
Coolbawn House	Rathnure	County Wexford	James Richard Dier JP	February 1923	Abandoned as ruins
Coolcower House	Macroom	County Cork	Richard Christopher Williams	11 July 1921	Rebuilt; now a hotel
Cor Castle	Innishannon	County Cork	Mrs Caroline Stephenson	25 June 1921	Rebuilt
Crookstown House	Crookstown	County Cork	Robert Warren	13 June 1921	Rebuilt
Derreen House	Kenmare	County Kerry	Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne	1922	Demolished
Derry House	Rosscarbery	County Cork	Alexander Sullivan	April 1921	Demolished
Desart House	Callan	County Kilkenny	Hamilton Cuffe, 5th Earl of Desart	1923	Demolished
Dromagh Castle	Mallow	County Cork	William N. Leader	10 March 1921	Abandoned as ruins
Forest House	Macroom	County Cork	Lieutenant Colonel Isaac W. Burns-Lindow/James Gollock	7 July 1921	Demolished
Frankfort House	Montenotte Hill	County Cork	Sir Alfred Dobbin	25 May 1921	Demolished
Gola House	Tydavnet	County Monaghan	William Black	March 1921	Demolished
Graiguenoe	Thurles	County Tipperary	Clarke family	1923	Demolished
Innishannon House	Innishannon	County Cork	Brigadier General F. W. J. Caulfield	25 June 1921	Abandoned as ruins
Kilboy House	Nenagh	County Tipperary	Henry Prittie, 4th Baron Dunalley	1922	Partially rebuilt
Kilcolman House	Bandon	County Cork	Mrs. E. M. A. Longfield	28 June 1921	Rebuilt
Kilcronagh House	Carrigrohane	County Cork	Ebenezer Pike	25 May 1921	Demolished
Kilmore House	Kilmurry McMahon	County Clare	Hickman family	30 July 1922	Demolished
Kilmorna House	Listowel	County Kerry	Sir Arthur Vicars	14 April 1921	Demolished
Kilteragh House	Foxrock	County Dublin	Sir Horace Plunkett	January 1923	Demolished
Leemount House	Coachford	County Cork	Mrs Maria Lindsay	March 1921	Abandoned as ruins
Lanesborough Lodge	Belturbet	County Cavan	Charles Butler, 7th Earl of Lanesborough	4 June 1921	Demolished
Leap Castle	Roscrea	County Offaly	Darby family	29 June 1921	Ruined; partially restored
Lisheen Castle	Thurles	County Tipperary	John F. O’Meara	29 June 1921	Rebuilt; now a hotel
Lohort Castle	Cecilstown	County Cork	Sir Tim O'Brien, 3rd Baronet	5 July 1921	Abandoned as ruins
Lydacan Castle	Carnmore	County Galway	James Greated	1922	Abandoned as ruins
Mayfield House	Bandon	County Cork	Hewitt R. Poole JP	28 June 1921	Rebuilt; now a hotel
Marlfield House	Marlfield, Clonmel	County Tipperary	John Philip Bagwell	January 1923	Rebuilt; now houses luxury apartments
Merton House	Rosscarbery	County Cork	Emily and Beatrice Whitley	June 1921	Demolished
Mitchelstown Castle	Mitchelstown	County Cork	William Downes Webber	12 August 1922	Demolished
Moore Hall	Carra	County Mayo	Maurice Moore	1 February 1923	Abandoned as ruins
Mountshannon House	Castleconnell	County Limerick	David Hannigan JP	June 1920	Abandoned as ruins
Mount Talbot House	Tisrara	County Roscommon	W.J. Talbot	1922	Abandoned as ruins
Moydrum Castle	Athlone	County Westmeath	Albert Handcock, 5th Baron Castlemaine	3 July 1921	Abandoned as ruins
Newberry Manor	Mallow	County Cork	John Pretyman Newman	3 June 1921	Rebuilt; now a nursing home
Palmerstown House	Johnstown	County Kildare	Dermot Bourke, 7th Earl of Mayo	29 January 1923	Abandoned as ruins
Prospect House	Innishannon	County Cork	Michael Dennehy JP	25 June 1921	Abandoned as ruins
Phillipsbury Avenue	Fairview	County Dublin	Seán McGarry TD	December 1922	Rebuilt
Puxley Mansion	Castletownbere	County Cork	Henry W. L. Puxley	9 June 1921	Ruined; partially renovated
Ravensdale House	Ravensdale	County Louth	Arthur Gore, 6th Earl of Arran	1920	Demolished
Renvyle	Connemara	County Galway	Oliver St. John Gogarty	February 1923	Rebuilt; now a hotel
River View House	Innishannon	County Cork	Colonel Francis C. Godley	25 June 1921	Abandoned as ruins
Rochestown House	Rochestown	County Cork	Francis H. Wise	February 1923	Demolished
Rockfield	Artane	County Dublin	J. J. Reddin	1 February 1923	Demolished
Rockforest	Roscrea	County Tipperary	Liam Burke TD	March 1923	Demolished
Rockmills House	Glanworth	County Cork	Charles Deane Oliver	30 April 1921	Abandoned as ruins
Rosslevan House	Kilraghtis	County Clare	Hon. Edward O'Brien	1922	Abandoned as ruins
Roxborough House	Killinan	County Galway	Persse family	1922	Abandoned as ruins
Rye Court	Moviddy	County Cork	Tonson Rye family	13 June 1921	Demolished
Shanton House	Ballybay	County Monaghan	Fitzherbert family	8 July 1921	Demolished
Sillahertane House	Kenmare	County Kerry	Sarah S. Lowe	1921	Abandoned as ruins
Skevanish House	Innishannon	County Cork	Ethel Peacocke	14 June 1921	Abandoned as ruins
Springfield Castle	Broadford	County Limerick	Robert Deane-Morgan, 5th Baron Muskerry	1921	Main house rebuilt; partially ruined
Stradone House	Stradone	County Cavan	Burrowes family	29 June 1921	Abandoned as ruins
Summerhill House	Summerhill	County Meath	John Hercules William Rowley, 5th Baron Langford	4 February 1921	Demolished
Templemore Abbey	Templemore	County Tipperary	Carden baronets	Early 1922	Demolished
Temple Hill	Terenure	County Dublin	Stephen Gwynn	February 1923	Demolished
Tynan Abbey	Tynan	County Armagh	Sir Norman Stronge, Baronet	21 January 1981	Demolished
Warrensgrove	Bandon	County Cork	Sir Augustus Digby Warren	1921	Main house ruined; outbuildings renovated
Warren's Court	Macroom	County Cork	Sir Augustus Digby Warren	17 June 1921	Demolished
Wilton Castle	Enniscorthy	County Wexford	Captain P. C. Alcock	March 1923	Abandoned; ruined
Woodstock House	Inistioge	County Kilkenny	Tighe family	2 July 1922	Abandoned as ruins

See also

• Anglo-Irish big house
• Destruction of country houses in 20th-century Britain

References and sources

Notes

1. Terence Dooley. The Decline of the Big House in Ireland: A Study of Irish Landed Families (Dublin: Wolfhound Press, 2001), p. 2.
2. Peter Martin, 'Unionism: The Irish Nobility and the Revolution 1919–23' in The Irish Revolution (Joost Augustein (ed), Palgrave 2002), p. 157.
3. Terence Dooley, The Decline of the Big House in Ireland: A Study of Irish Landed Families (Dublin: Wolfhound Press, 2001), 10.
4. Terence Dooley, The Decline of the Big House in Ireland: A Study of Irish Landed Families (Dublin: Wolfhound Press, 2001), p. 11.
5. Jonathan Haughton, 'Historical Background' in John W. O'Hagan and Carol Newman, The Economy of Ireland: National and Sectoral Policy Issues (Gill & Macmillan Ltd, 15 August 2014), pp. 19-25.
6. James S. Donnelly, 'Big House Burnings in County Cork during the Irish Revolution, 1920–21', Éire-Ireland (47: 3 & 4 Fall/Win 12), p. 141.
7. Terence Dooley, The Decline of the Big House in Ireland: A Study of Irish Landed Families (Dublin: Wolfhound Press, 2001), p. 56.
8. James S. Donnelly, 'Big House Burnings in County Cork during the Irish Revolution, 1920–21', Éire-Ireland (47: 3 & 4 Fall/Win 12), p. 141.
9. Peter Martin, 'Unionism: The Irish Nobility and the Revolution 1919–23' in The Irish Revolution (Joost Augustein (ed), Palgrave 2002), p. 157.
10. Michael Hopkinson, Green Against Green: The Irish Civil War (Gill & Macmillan Ltd, 2004), p. 195.
11. Terence Dooley, The Decline of the Big House in Ireland: A Study of Irish Landed Families (Dublin: Wolfhound Press, 2001), p. 72.
12. Alan O'Day, Reactions to Irish Nationalism, 1865–1914 (Bloomsbury Publishing, 1 July 1987), p. 384.
13. Gemma Clark, Everyday Violence in the Irish Civil War (Cambridge University Press, 21 April 2014), p. 70.
14. Diarmaid Ferriter, The Transformation of Ireland 1900–2000 (Profile Books, 2004), p. 210.
15. George Moore, Letter to the Morning Post, 13 February 1923.
16. Cork Constitution (27 May 1921)
17. Jacqueline Genet, The Big House in Ireland: Reality and Representation (Rowman & Littlefield, 1 January 1991)
18. Vera Kreilkamp, The Anglo-Irish Novel and the Big House (Syracuse University Press, 1998)
19. Robert Kee, The Green Flag: A History of Irish Nationalism (Penguin, 2000).
20. 'The Green Book: I' from 'The IRA' by Tim Pat Coogan (1993)
21. Biographies of Members of the Northern Ireland House of Commons

Sources

• Terence Dooley, The Decline of the Big House in Ireland: A Study of Irish Landed Families (Dublin: Wolfhound Press, 2001).
• James S. Donnelly, Big House Burnings in County Cork during the Irish Revolution, 1920–21, Éire-Ireland (47: 3 & 4 Fall/Win 12); accessed 17 February 2015.
• John Dorney, The Big House and the Irish Revolution, The Irish Story (21 June 2011); accessed 17 February 2015.