Years of social, economic and political upheaval left the Irish Country House adrift in a changed land. The once great houses arouse curiosity but are for gotten architectural masterpieces. Now we can comprehend in this book the loss of architectural heritage by cross-referencing period images of houses and contents in their prime with what are often only vestiges today. Their history shares common threads and the stories of those who built and once called these stately edifices home are highly entertaining. David Hicks was granted unprecedented access to houses, castles, and unpublished photographs to produce this visual record of once beautiful buildings. Hundreds of color and black and white photos.