Memories of the big houses of Longford to be documented
Longford County Library, Heritage and Archives Services are embarking on an exciting project with filmmakers Charles Lambert and Ronan Daly of Kilglass House, Legan, to produce a documentary about the Big Houses of Longford.
This Decade of Centenaries project will look at the latter years of the houses and landed estates and how they were affected by the events of the Irish Revolution (1912-23).
It will concentrate on a selection of properties, including some that survive and others that no longer exist.
A key part of the project is to include stories and memories from people in the community and Charles and Ronan are asking for anyone with information to contact them.
“We know that there are people who have knowledge of many of the houses around the county, either from first-hand experience, or stories that came from their parents or other relatives. We would love to hear from them,” says Charles.
According to Ronan, “The documentary will be a mixture of personal reminiscences, contributions from historians, and information gleaned from archives and other contemporary sources.”
Reflecting on the significance of the work being planned, he observes, “This is the first time a production like this will be done in Longford and we are very much looking forward to working on it.”
If you have any information on any of the houses, including photographs or film, please contact Charles and Ronan by email – bighouseslongford@ gmail.com or ‘phone 089-4593916.