Irish research > Cottage Life (5)
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the cottage
Muckross Farms had several working farms of life in Ireland in the 1930s. Although I am writing of a time, almost a century before, not much had changed during that century, particularly for the labouring class of farmers. Families lived in one or two roomed cottages like this one. You can see the kitchen garden in the front where they would have grown their potatoes and other vegetables.
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butter churn
As the oldest girl, Kit would have been responsible for making butter each day.
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the hearth
It's said that when the fire goes out so does the soul of the people in the house. The fireplace was the heart of the home and it was the mother's job to keep the fire burning at all times. The fire was a symbol of both family continuity and hospitality.
Here you can see bread cooking over the fire. And of course the kettle was always on in case someone stopped in for tea.
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out the door
I love this picture because it gives me an idea of what Kit would see outside her front door. The kitchen garden is just beyond the wall.
A neat bit of info -- tenants had to pay tax on every window in the cottage. A half-door was not considered a window, and so was coined the term "daylight robbery".
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the settle-bed
Large families had to make the most of the small spaces they had. This settle-bed served as a bench during the day and then opened out into a box-type bed. If there was a back room, parents slept there. Some cottages also had a 'hag' or a nook by the fireplace where the granparents would sleep. Kids were tucked into the settle-bed.