Conference – ‘The Country House Revived?’ Dublin Castle, June 19th-21st 2017

Conference and Exhibition

Dublin Castle, 19-21 June 2017

The Centre for the Study of Historic Irish Houses and Estates,Maynooth University and The Office of Public Worksin association with The Attingham Trust,The Historic Houses Association, and The Paul Mellon Centre

The focus of this conference is the survival and revival of historic houses in Ireland, the UK, and Europe in the course of the last fifty years.

Across Europe increasing numbers of houses are opening their doors to the public, presenting and interpreting their histories in imaginative ways, looking to engage with local communities, and to diversify in terms of commercial activities.

Growing numbers of houses are now engaging in numerous ways with the external world as opposed to feeling beleaguered and retreating behind closed doors. How do we assess this recent history? Every house operates under its own unique circumstances, influenced by governance, ownership, funding, scholarly investigation, national trends, or other factors. There is no single model for historic houses: each one makes different choices for creating a sustainable future. There are many definitions of the concept of ‘revival’.

The Country House Revived? is aimed at a wide audience of owners, scholars, students, heritage professionals, policy makers, and the many people with a general interest in the built heritage. Papers will examine a variety of topics and perspectives from across Europe, comparing issues and experiences that have affinities as well as contrasts. The conference will also exploreways in which this sector of the built heritage can foster future collaborative activity.

Accompanying the conference will be a photographic exhibition illustrating a variety of houses from across Ireland, the UK, and Europe, and chronicling their recent past.

Download program and practial information (pdf)

Enquiries to cshihe@nuim.ie