When Ireland recovered after the great famine of 1847, the rural Irish embarked on a lifestyle that changed very little until the 1960s.
These small farms became the bedrock of country communities where open turf fireplaces, oil lamps and horse-drawn carts were the order of the day and where hard work and interdependence was necess.
These were tough, proud and hardworking people who understood the value of community, where ordinary people squeezed a frugal living from a few acres of poor land.
When Ireland recovered after the great famine of 1847, the rural Irish embarked on a lifestyle that changed very little until the 1960s