The Bad Times

Waterford Country Houses During the Revolutionary Period

By: William Fraher

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

A vivid account of the people who lived through the revolutionary period, whether as occupants of the country houses (both large and small), their servants, members of the IRA or the Free State army, or ordinary people living in the countryside caught up in the tides of war. The research is meticulous and is based on an extraordinarily wide range of sources, both published and unpublished, including compensation claims in the National Archives, witness statements given to the Bureau of Military History, and contemporary Irish and UK newspapers.

One of the most valuable sources is the family archives of the owners of some of those houses, particularly the correspondence of Emily Ussher of Cappagh House and the diary of Mary de la Poer of Gurteen le Poer. Their contemporary accounts enable us to witness through their eyes what it was like to experience raids on their homes, sometimes accompanied by a demand to provide accommodation, but sometimes ending in a warning to evacuate before the house was set on fire.

The immediacy of these and similar stories is complemented by an outline of the wider historical context, such as the economic impact of the Land Acts 1881 to 1909 on both landlords and tenant farmers, and the loss of confidence among Anglo-Irish unionists as Home Rule appeared imminent. The impacts of both the IRA levy on big houses in 1921 and the farm labourers’ strike of 1922 are analysed. There are also wonderfully evocative black-and-white photos showing not only the damage caused to the houses but also the social life of the owners, including family gatherings, hunt meetings and balls, and their indoor and outdoor staff.