Irish Country Furniture and Furnishings 1700-2000

Abstract

The Irish rural dwelling has enjoyed a central position in various and competing notions of Irish identity from nostalgic formatting in the construction of folk villages for tourist consumption, to its iconic status as a symbol of endurance and survival. Its inclusion in Paul Henry’s paintings of the west of Ireland, John Ford’s Quiet Man in 1952, John Hinde postcards from the mid-twentieth century, served to reinforce the link between rural peasant life and perceptions of Irish essentialist authenticity. In her recent comprehensive study, entitled Irish Country Furniture and Furnishings, 1700-2000, Claudia Kinmonth acknowledges that the architecture and structure of the house has had the greatest impact on the design of vernacular HOME CULTURES VOLUME 18, ISSUE 3 PP 255–260 REPRINTS AVAILABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE PUBLISHERS PHOTOCOPYING PERMITTED BY LICENSE ONLY © 2022 INFORMA UK LIMITED, TRADING AS TAYLOR & FRANCIS GROUP.