BELOW ARE IMAGES OF A REGULAR IRISH FAMILY HOME (MINUS THE THATCHED ROOF WHICH HAS LONG DISAPPEARED)…BUT THE REST REMAINS AS IS, IN RUINS:
Now that you have seen a typical Irish Family Home (built circa 1830-60s est.) around the time before, or after Potato Famine lets move on to finding the information needed to do research.
Knowing Irish History helps. In the last 800 years before 1922 – or up till Michael Collins stepped on the Battlefield of History — essentially for 800 years prior to 1922 — Ireland was ruled by the British Empire, and none-to-nicely either (to put it mildly).
The last significant uprising against British Rule was the United Irishmen in 1798, lead by Wolfe Tone.
Between these times, Laws – called the Penal Laws- were enacted by the Empire, that made it so hard for the majority of the Population (the Roman Catholics) to live, own anything, ect., that they were reduced to subsitence farming. Most in Ireland are Roman Catholice since St. Patrick in 450 AD, converted the Druids. With the Penal Laws life for most was reduced to survival mode – with the Potato (which provides enough nutrition for a Human to survive with small additions) – and survive they did! It should be noted that most people got along no matter – but it was a festering wound (occupation) that finally ended in in 1922.
The Irish are not only “Saints and Scholars” they essentially saved civilized western society.