Saving the big house: Shared heritage now in jeopardy

IF we did not have, like all European countries, a big-house tradition, Irish literature would be a far less spectacular vista and our politics would be pretty different too.

We are different, though, in that so many of our great houses were destroyed, needlessly some might argue, during our struggle for independence.

It may be easier to reach a less hostile, a less destructive position at this remove in time, but it is hard not to think that the destruction of so many magnificent buildings, even if they were symbols of denial and oppression, has not diminished our national heritage.

Time, economics and taxation have continued to take their toll on the big house and even if it seems counterintuitive to argue that we need to do more to support this strand of our country’s legacy when resources are so limited, we should because once lost they are gone for ever.

In recent days, actor and West Cork resident Jeremy Irons has pointed to the reality that makes many restoration projects impossible and suggested that changes to the tax rules might make this work easier.

The scale of these projects — Michael Flatley spent an estimated €30m rejuvenating Castlehyde outside Fermoy, Co Cork — is beyond the reach of most people and probably beyond the remit of the State.

Any tax relief should be linked to public access which might help create a better understanding around these symbols of our shared but divided past.