Its successor courts were set up due to the problems incurred by owners of property following the great famine of the 1840s.

Dr. Lyons highlights the significance of middle-sized houses and other properties and their place in Ireland's infrastructure. W.A Maguire of the Ulster Museum calls this book, launched in the National Library who own the original illustrations, “a collector's item” in his Irish Historical Studies Review.

Certainly it is a fascinating and worthwhile read. It is also an ideal library acquisition, being the same size as our “County house” books, and a valuable heirloom. Foreword by The Hon. Desmond Guinness, founder of The Irish Georgian Society.