Landscapes of Power The Social Network of the Power Elite in mid-Victorian Ireland Case Study of Thomas Conolly (1823-76) of Castletown, Co Kildare

The focus of this thesis will have at its core an individual and a house around which the social networking of the ascendancy will pivot. Thomas Conolly and Castletown will act as a catalyst to the control of hegemonic power of the ascendancy class in the second half of the nineteenth century. The nineteenth century saw the demesne come to publicly represent the overt economic and social power of the landowning class and has contributed to the highly politicised nature of these spaces. At the centre of this was Conolly who moved from space to space engaging in the social rituals that connected the elites and in the wider social and political arena in connection with the hegemonic acceptance of the social order. This study will step away from a conventional history of the house and look instead at the structure of the society within which it is embedded to provide a new glimpse at a familiar building and of its society. This study will contextualise Conolly’s activities and the lifestyles of other ascendancy landowners on Irish society in the third quarter of the 19th century. The mid to late nineteenth century is the culmination of the hegemonic supremacy of the British culture achieved through economic and military strategies across the world. This supremacy, steadily moving toward a proto nationalistic climate, would not irretrievably break down until the end of the century. By looking at Conolly’s social interaction to the wider ascendancy spaces during this period Castletown will represent a world that in the 21st century has virtually disappeared.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

phd

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

National University of Ireland Maynooth

Year dc:date.issued

2018

Author dc:creator

• Pegley, Suzanne

Language dc:language

en

Repository record dc:identifier.uri

https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/12118/2/Appendix%20I%20Database%20.xlsx

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:mural.maynoothuniversity.ie:12118