Lidssadell House, Co. Sligo
This photograph shows Lissadell House in County Sligo. It was originally the home of the Gore-Booth family. One of the most famous members of this family was the Irish revolutionary Constance Markievicz. This was where she grew up.
Copyright Sligo County LibraryLidssadell House, Co. Sligo
Copyright Sligo County Library
Copyright Sligo County Library
Lidssadell House, Co. Sligo
This photograph shows Lissadell House in County Sligo. It was originally the home of the Gore-Booth family. One of the most famous members of this family was the Irish revolutionary Constance Markievicz. This was where she grew up.
Copyright Sligo County LibraryJust as there are lots of different types of homes today, there were different sizes and styles of homes in the past.
There were big houses like this one.
There were farmhouses, some big, some small. The most common type of home in Ireland when your grandparents were small was the thatched cottage.
Old Irish farmhouse
After the famine in 1845, Irelands agricultural system changed. Land enclosure became a common feature in the Irish landscape. Families began to delineate field boundaries on their rented lands. The land wars later that century and the land acts, saw the transfer of lands back into Irish hands. This ownership of land was a hard fought struggle, but only the beginning. In the poorest areas of Ireland, making productive land from rock or bog was a back breaking toil. The quality and size of your land became the epitome of wealth and status. In many cases, the ownership of land instead of setting families free, sometimes bound them in bitter rows and had a compelling effect on the attitude of the people.
Old Irish farmhouse
Old Irish farmhouse
After the famine in 1845, Irelands agricultural system changed. Land enclosure became a common feature in the Irish landscape. Families began to delineate field boundaries on their rented lands. The land wars later that century and the land acts, saw the transfer of lands back into Irish hands. This ownership of land was a hard fought struggle, but only the beginning. In the poorest areas of Ireland, making productive land from rock or bog was a back breaking toil. The quality and size of your land became the epitome of wealth and status. In many cases, the ownership of land instead of setting families free, sometimes bound them in bitter rows and had a compelling effect on the attitude of the people.
Artisan Cottage
Photograph of an Artisan dwelling in Birr, County Offaly.
Artisan Cottage
Artisan Cottage
Photograph of an Artisan dwelling in Birr, County Offaly.
In cities and towns, there were small homes like this.
There were also large townhouses where one family lived and tenements where families were living in one room.
Build a Thatched House
Build a Thatched House