The Big House occupied a special place in Ireland's history, landscape and literature. Typically it belonged to an Anglo-Irish landlord, who often lived on one of his other estates in England, and cared little for the welfare of his Irish tenants. Some landlords became bywords for cruelty, particularly during The Famine, when they continued to export crops which could have fed the starving population. Others enjoyed better relations with the local community.
Bellurgan Park is the local Big House where I live. Its present owner is looking at ways of making it sustainable so it can remain in the family for future generations and also be an amenity for the local community.