Introduction: telling difficult histories in Ireland

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingForeword/postscript

Abstract

Just south of Tipperary town in the rolling Munster countryside, the remains of a derelict nineteenth-century workhouse can be found (Figure 0.1). Built of limestone in a Tudorbethan style and set in 6 acres of land, this instrument of the Poor Law first opened its doors in 1841. It was one of 163 Irish workhouses constructed in this period and on such an imposing scale that it could accommodate 700 individuals in need. With the onset of the Great Irish Famine in 1845, the building would come to house four times this number. Such dramatic overcrowding led to rampant spread of disease and higher mortality for the unfortunate inhabitants. 1 Today, with smashed windows, boarded doorways and gaping holes in its roof, this building’s condition signals neglect. It is not obvious that this former workhouse was the subject of an early twenty-first-century initiative to repurpose it as self-catering accommodation for tourists. Despite considerable initial investment, the project was never completed and the building’s material deterioration now continues apace.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationPublic history in Ireland: difficult histories
EditorsLeonie Hannan, Olwen Purdue
PublisherRoutledge
Pages1-21
ISBN (Electronic)9781003218241
ISBN (Print)9781032110592, 9781032110608
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 27 Jun 2024

Publication series

NameGlobal Perspectives on Public History

Keywords

  • public history
  • Ireland
  • Northern Ireland
  • memory
  • trauma
  • conflict

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Arts and Humanities

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