In a new historical series starting in November, Holger Smyth of Inanna Rare Books will introduce us each month to a West Cork house detailed in a rare publication by Reverend Richard J. Hodges and W.T. Pike, a massive volume of historical photographs and stories about the big houses and country estates in County Cork. This fascinating book includes an enormous amount of images of historical buildings in West Cork and an additional chapter of portraits and biographies of local nobility, clergy and very normal local families.
“In the 16 years of dealing with rare books in Ireland I was always intrigued by one publication which seemed beyond rare and hard to find,” shares Holger. “The publication is a strange composition of excellent local history of Cork City and its surroundings and then wanders into each corner of County Cork (East Cork, North Cork and West Cork) to highlight important and very common houses alike, as well as mentioning the families who lived in them, their background, often also their genealogy and their occupation, as well as their importance for the community. We find sometimes images of houses from Clonakilty, Charleville and Goleen on the same page, hinting on family connections.”
After finding a rare original of this book about a year ago, Holger decided to reprint the book, making it available to the public in a limited edition.
Over the course of the next year, he plans to visit the original locations of each of these houses: Connecting with the new owners, he hopes to see what has become of the buildings and families since the year 1911. His fascinating journey and findings will be published each month in West Cork People.
Anyone with additional information on any of the houses or historical families can get in touch with Holger by email at holger@inannararebooks.com
The reprints are available for viewing by appointment.
The article above refers to a rare publication, now available in a high-quality reprint and hand-bound limited edition from
Inanna Rare Books, Skibbereen. Phone: 087 1025412.
W: www.inannararebooks.com / e: info@inannararebooks.com
Cork and County Cork in the Twentieth Century /
Contemporary Biographies.
[Half-Leather version €450 / Full Leather version €550]
Originally published in Brighton in the year 1911. With 315 pages of photographs and stories of big houses, town houses and country estates in Cork City, North Cork, East Cork and West Cork, as well as biographies of the men and their families who lived in these houses.
