Another side of Irish history unveiled

It could be described as Downton Abbey Irish-style — a glimpse of life in those great houses in wooded estates behind high stone walls.

It’s a way of life that has almost vanished. But traces still remain and memories of a lost world live on in the minds of ageing descendants of lords and ladies of the manor. Their memories make up a new collection of interviews with 100 of the country’s prominent landowners, to be launched in the National Library on Wednesday.

Egerton Shelswell White, of Bantry House, in West Cork, says when he was a child, the estate wall seemed like a prison wall keeping him in, not keeping other people out.

“Around the estate walls were five gates. I had to run down a hill and jump over the gate to get out. It was easier than having to ask my parents for the key all the time, and it felt like escaping from prison,” he says.

The Great Houses of Ireland oral history collection has been recorded by Tralee-based historians Maurice and Jane O’Keeffe. It is the second such project and is part of the Irish Life and Lore series.

According to the O’Keeffes, who spent three years working on the projects, Irish history as it was taught in school was essentially one-dimensional in that the lives of Anglo-Irish families who left Ireland during the Troubles in the 1970s and 1980s were largely ignored.

“The testimonies of these families deserve to be heard, as they form a significant part of our shared Irish history,” said Mr O’Keeffe.

Chambre Good, of Cor Castle, Innishannon, Co Cork, tells of the burning of the castle, in which her parents were living at the time, during the War of Independence in 1921. The door was broken at 3am and the family was told they had just two hours to get out what they could.

“My mother knew some of the men, because they were local, and they helped them, until five horseloads of stuff was taken out. My mother was still upstairs, throwing things out the window, when the fire was started, and they had to throw a mattress on the stairs to get her out.”

Other interviewees offer insights into the daily life of the landed families.

Jane Waller, of Dromore Castle, Kenmare, Co Kerry, says one of the most remarkable things about Dromore was that it was the only house in Ireland, or Britain, using home-produced gas for lighting.

“We made our gas from carbide and water. Sometimes, there would be a bit of a leak, creating a smell like rotten eggs.”

The collection will be launched by Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan.

* www.irishlifeandlore.com.