The title of my thesis is 'The Lingering of Home in Irish Memory'. For my research project, I was interested in exploring how we leave little parts of ourselves that are both tangible and intangible behind in the places that we dwell in, even when we leave them.
Taking the themes and symbol of the home, I began to look at how sites of home can be places of memory, which in turn can help facilitate an Irish identity, memory, subconscious, and heritage. I took the three sites of Kilmainhaim Gaol, the haunted Loftus Hall, and the drowned village of Ballinahown to explore these themes.
Detail of a lace curtain in an abandoned house window taken by Rose Merriman in Co. Wicklow, 2019
Research
Landscape of Blessington Lakes. Source: VisitWicklow.ie. https://visitwicklow.ie/listing/blessington-lakes/
Exterior of Loftus Hall, Co. Wexford. Source: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/realLoftusHall/photos/a.245956572182454/2901143193330432/?type=3&theater
Interior of Kilmainham Jail. Source: Kilmainham Gaol http://kilmainhamgaolmuseum.ie/051117_-kilmainham_-041-jpg/
Detail of a tree stump that had been washed up on the shores of Blessington Lakes. This is one of many trees that were cut down for the building of Blessington Reservoir
Interior shot of the restored staircase and roof of Loftus Hall. Source: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/realLoftusHall/photos/2701231733321580