Housing

The Irish cabin was the most basic of all accommodation. Typically constructed of mud, turf, and timber, sometimes including random stone, they were not at all fit for human habitation. A rectangular mud hut, with a stone ringed fire as a centrepiece, and no more than a hole in the roof for venting smoke. These single room, windowless, furniture-free, smoky, damp, and draughty habitats were shared with animals. They stank and yet they were the centre of family life. Adjacent to the hut, or even directly in front of its lean-to door, a cess pit would have been dug, thus completing a picture of one of the least desirable residencies on the planet.     .
 

Source: old print

Source: old print

Source: old print