Lost Ireland: 1860–1960 presents a panoramic sweep of Ireland’s forgotten built heritage. From war and insurrection, to prosperity and development, the changes wrought by history have meant that a whole swathe of our built past no longer survives, save through the magic of the camera lens. Drawing on a variety of photographic archives, this book offers a wide sample of what was lost to these changes: the humble mud huts of the transient labourer, and the ‘thatched mansions’ of the prosperous farmer; the edifices of industrial innovation and technology; the grand homes of the well-to-do, including the infamous ‘big house’.

Organized by county, Lost Ireland reveals a layer of Irish history which is both fascinating and nostalgic, not just in its ‘bricks and mortar’ but also in the events and the people who inhabited those settings.

William Derham studied architecture at the Dublin Institute of Technology, and building repair & conservation at Trinity College Dublin. For the last eight years he has worked at Dublin Castle as a guide and curator.

He is the joint editor of The Chapel Royal, Dublin Castle: An Architectural History, and co-curator of the accompanying exhibition, Pinnacles, Pomp and Piety: 200 years of the Chapel Royal at Dublin Castle.