The module HI4168 The Country House in Ireland: Class, Gender and Culture, led by Dr Karol Mullaney-Dignam, School of History and Geography, explores the history of the country house in Ireland from its rise in the 1700s to its decline in the 1900s, providing an intimate look at the social, cultural and material lives of owners, occupants, and providers.
Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, this module considers everyday life in country houses, including style and luxury, women’s roles in the home, the importance of wealth and status, the link between city and country life, class differences between servants and owners, as well as how goods were sourced and social connections made. Read HI4168 module outline.
Focus on: archival letters
2024/25 student projects
History students taking the Irish Country House module in 2024/25 were asked to focus on archival letters from the estate paper collections held in the Special Collections and Archives Department at the Glucksman Library. Letters are fantastic sources for history, revealing key pieces of information about the past, including the names and addresses of the sender and addressee (the person receiving the letter), the date the letter was written, as well as small glimpses into the daily lives and events described. Sometimes, letters contain additional enclosures, such as photographs, drawings, and even locks of hair!
Below are sample projects undertaken by three students in the Autumn Semester 2024/25. The students were asked to choose and analyse an archival letter (or set of letters), to produce: a document analysis (what the document is about, and why it’s important); observations on their research journey (how they went about their research, what they found interesting and difficult, and why); the context of the document (the collection it comes from, the history of the item); a transcription of the item; and a bibliography of the primary and secondary sources they used throughout their assignment.
Previous student blog posts
Click on each blog post below to see examples of what past students have found in our collection of estate papers.
