Irish Cottage

'The very words 'Irish Cottage' conjure up images of thatched roofs, whitewashed walls, half-doors, smoke curling from the chimney, and open turf fires. Those words also evoke feelings of warmth, nostalgia, comfort and contentment. Much of that is with good reason as the Irish cottage was, for two hundred years, a great feature on the Irish landscape and home to millions of Irish people, many of whom emigrated to the United States and elsewhere.

The thatched Irish cottages were simple affairs, and while the basic design was the same throughout the country, there were differences on a regional basis. One major regional difference would have been the use of mud walls, rather than stone, in some areas. Strange as it seems, when the mud walls were dried and given several coats of whitewash, and when the thatched roof was allowed to overhang the walls, they remained dry and lasted for many decades.' Stone for cottages was always available in Ireland and during the time they were being constructed, workings quarries were plentiful. In many cases, these quarries were exploiting limestone which was burned to produce lime for agricultural purposes. The lime produced was also used to create morter for binding the stones together. The skill required in building these humble dwellings is often overlooked and the stonework that is visible in the ruined cottages around the country should be examined to appreciate the complexity of building with rubble stone.