Ireland experienced profound changes during the course of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The movement of new settlers from Britain into the country, as well as the appearance of new consumer goods and greater demands for agricultural and fishery products, brought about fundamental changes in material culture, architecture and landscape. These were to have profound consequences for Ireland’s coastal communities as they were forced to contend with new political, economic and social challenges. In spite of this, the nature of most coastal settlements in the early modern era would reflect as much continuity as change. This talk will focus on how these changes are reflected in surviving buildings and architectural sites of the period.
