THEY MAY now be little more than dilapidated and derelict ruins but they were once homes to some of the wealthiest landed families in the country – and just how their fortunes have changed have been chronicled in a book by photographer Tarquin Blake.
Abandoned Mansions of Irelandis the culmination of over two years of travelling all over the country and seeking out such buildings, which Blake has captured in a series of dramatic, ethereal photographs.
“I started by just photographing the houses, but then I started to research them and I found a whole wealth of heritage which seems to be completely overlooked and it’s not really documented, so it just seemed a worthy cause and I just fell into it,” he said.
A descendant of the Blakes of Galway, he grew up in the UK, but moved to Kinsale in Co Cork about 10 years ago. From there he set out on his weekend sallies to the furthest reaches of the island to capture Ireland’s forgotten country houses.
Using infra red photography to snap the buildings and achieve the ghostly effect in his black and white prints was the easy part, he said. Researching the history of houses and who lived in them sometimes took months.
“I can turn up at the house and photograph the whole place in an hour and a half, but I might be researching the place for weeks or months, going to libraries and writing letters to people; since I set up my website, the flow of information from people has increased hugely,” he said.
Given the huge number of derelict homes, many abandoned by landowners after they sold their land for good prices after the 1903 Wyndham Land Act, Blake does not believe it is realistic to expect the State or private individuals to restore them.
“We’re talking about millions of euro for even basic restoration – I’ve come across places which have been restored by interesting people, and it’s clear that you really have to have a love of the structure, because it doesn’t make sense to do it for economic reasons. My aim is just to document all these places, but it’s an endless task because new places keep coming up – and just when you think you found a fascinating place somewhere even more interesting turns up; the change in Ireland over the last 100 years is just staggering.”
Abandoned Mansions of Irelandis published by Collins Press. More information is available on www.abandonedireland.com.
