Peter Somerville-Large, born in 1928 in Dublin, passed away at 97, leaving a legacy of books including An Irish Childhood, The Irish Country House: A Social History, and The Coast of West Cork, books on Irish history and two novels.
Born at Hatch Street Nursing Home, he grew up at Farmhill in Goatstown/Dundrum and later at Laragh House in Co Wicklow, which his father converted into a hotel and farm. Laragh House was sold at a loss after World War II.
His cousin, Edith Somerville, was part of the literary duo Somerville and Ross. Edith Somerville visited Farmhill in the 1930s.
During World War II, his family faced challenges maintaining Laragh House due to petrol shortages. Peter married Gillian Lucy Aykroyd in 1958, and they had a daughter, Vanessa.
Peter Somerville-Large shared: “For six years the hotel had been empty for 10 months of each year. All those years, hotel staff and farm workers had to be paid. It was privately sold to an English syndicate at a huge loss. One memorial to him is Cappagh Hospital, which his enthusiasm and insistence helped to found. I wonder what my father would have thought about my decision to take up writing as a career. Most probably very little.”
