Old Irish Country Life

This book presents informative pictorial history of Irish country life as it used to be 100 years ago and occasionally more recently. This is a small book but is packed with pictures and information and is great value for money with its wide coverage of country occupations, events and pursuits. The accompanying text gives the background to what is going on in each illustration. Many of the photos are unlocated but believed to be in the western counties. Amongst the subject matter featured are the Claddagh in Galway, fishwives, gorse-picking, donkeys of course, plucking fowl, carting, market day, pigs, dancing, killing the pig, peasants’ cabins, eviction, the village pump, spinning wool and tweed industry, turf-cutting and turf harvest, washing day, curraghs, seaweed harvesting, turnip harvesting, digging potatoes, pig fairs, milking the cow, sheep, roadside butter market, thatching and Irish lace and all within 56 pages! This book is an affordable introduction to how rural life used to be in the poorer parts of Ireland.