Artist working in Spatial Audio and Performance - based between Brighton, Dublin & Berlin
www.artofnoises.com

Joseph Young

*The Ancestors* is a hauntological sound trail by artist **Joseph Young** made in response to the written archives of Killruddery House. As you wander the grounds, you may encounter historic characters and events, some strange and beautiful sounds and *The Keeper of the Archive*, a ghostly poet-philosopher.

**Before you start:**  
1. Make sure your phone has a good charge  
2. Connect your headphones  
3. When prompted, download the walk in advance if you have access to wi-fi (the walk will also work in streaming mode)
4. The sound trail starts immediately after the ticket office - you can turn right for a short way, or left into the formal gardens  
5. Follow the circles and marked areas and let yourself drift  
  
**Concept, Sound Design & Production:** Joseph Young

**Actors:** Nico Brown, Serena Brabazon, Michael Hilliard Mulcahy, Killian Kirwan  

**PhD Supervisor:** Prof. Lizbeth Goodman  
   
'The Ancestors' was created as part of a practice-based PhD research project, 'Killruddery: Listening to the Archive' at SMARTlab UCD, funded by Irish Research Council and Killruddery Arts, Heritage & Culture.

*A big thank you to the Brabazon family for inviting me into their home*

*From the archives:* 
A welcoming of sorts (date unknown)

*From the archives:*
A record of grafted pears, plums and cherries (1742)

*From the archives:* 
Receipt for an Augue (date unknown)

*From the archives:* 
An inventory of trees (1731)

*From the archives:* 
A ledger of garden accounts (1798)

A ghostly poet-philosopher **The Keeper of the Archive** invites you on a journey

starling

goldfinch

hoopoe

*From the archives:* A letter to Lady Ardee from her husband during First World War

*From the archives:* 
A letter to the Duke of Bedford concerning debates in the House of Lords in London on famine relief for Ireland

An aeolian harp of sorts, activated by the wind

*From the archives:* 
A letter from Lord Meath regarding famine relief for tenant farmers, read by his diarist and daughter Kathleen (1847)

**The Keeper of the Archive** muses on soundwalking and 'Stone Tape Theory' in which ancient stones act as tape recorders for historic events

From a text by Vernon Lee 'Dionea' in *Hauntings* (1890)

*From the archives:* 
A thank you letter from Bray Parish Cricket Club (1963)

*From the archives:* 
A resolution from the Commissioners regarding the passage of a Bill on the development of Bray through the British House of Lords (1881)

*Lord and Lady Meath* on the Battle of the Boyne, including a reading of a letter from the battlefront (1590)

*From the archives:* 
A photograph showing the commandeering of a car by Irish Free State troops during the Civil War in summer 1922

*From the archives:* 
The granting of an extension to water rights in Dublin (1732)

A _hauntological_ field recording from the site of a monument to the 12th Earl of Meath, founder of Empire Day (1909) at Lancaster Gate in London, April 2021.

Field recording, Lancaster Gate (April 2021)

*From the archives:*
Lord Meath is shot in a fatal duel over a land dispute (1797)

Killruddery was granted to Sir William Brabazon (then Vice-Chancellor of Ireland) by King Henry VIII of England, as part of the estate of the dissolved St Thomas' Abbey in The Liberties, Dublin, in 1539. A monument in the Ardee Woods commemorates the monks' presence at Killruddery.

*From the archives:* 
A poetic diary entry from one female family member, Kathleen, to her ancestor (date unknown)

*From the archives:* 
A hustings speech to the freeholders of Dublin for election to the British parliament (1830)

*From the archives:* 
The original 17th C. garden designs were allegedly designed by a Monsieur Bonet, a Hugenot and the protégé of Le Nôtre, the designer of the gardens at Versailles. Details on his life are scant...

*From the archives:* 
An illustration showing a plea for women's suffrage (exact date unknown)

*From the archives:*
A letter to an ailing William, Lord Meath who is convalescing in Nottingham (1684)

**The Keeper of the Archive** speaks on the complexities of the archive accompanied by the sound of waves on Bray Head beach, looking out over the Irish Sea towards England

*From the archives:* 
An album of photographs documenting the rebuilding of Killruddery, when systemic dry rot was found after the family's return to Ireland following The Great Emergency (1952-8)

The Killruddery Water Clock's ghostly chime

A historic water-powered clock designed by Normand, 13th Earl of Meath on his return from the First World War

**The Keeper of the Archive** muses on the weight of history

*An interactive composition:* 
Explore the sounds as they change and combine according to your movement and walking speed

'Killruddery: Listening to the Archive' is a practice-led PhD research project by artist Joseph Young which explores the complexities of the Brabazon family archives at Killruddery in Bray, Co. Wicklow. The project is supported by SMARTlab UCD, Inclusive Design Research Centre (Ireland), Irish Research Council and Killruddery Arts, Heritage & Culture

The Ancestors

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