Houses in Ireland - past &present 

The Celts Homes

When the  Celts  came to Ireland they  built their  homes inside  ring forts. Sometimes  two or three walls  were built around  them   to give protection          and they were surrounded  by a deep trench .                          

Crannógs

Cows were very  valuable to the  Celts. They were kept near  the fort and at night they were brought into the ring forts for protection. Sometimes they even shared the house with their owners. Some of the Celts built a special kind of like  dwelling called a crannóg. Trees, rocks and mud were piled into a lake so the path could easily end up in deep water. A lot of hard work was needed is build a crannóg so only rich  people could afford one.

Norman Castles 

When the Normans came to Ireland more then 800 years ago   they built great  stone castles on the lands they conquered. The great hall was the main living area for the lord and his family. Apart from   tables and stools there was very little furniture large    wooden chests stored beside the walls were used to store clothes, food and weapons.  A fire  blazed in a large stone    fireplace. Few castles had chimneys and very often the smoke   had to escape through the narrow windows which  had no glass. Life for the lord and his family was fairly comfortable. Their   beds had straw mattresses and warm bedclothes and servants  had to sleep on rushes spread on the floors of the great hall.   Other followers  of  the  lord  lived in   rough shelters in the    courtyard . Many  people  found  it  safe to live  near  Norman   castles and for that reason towns and villages also grew up   around these .In time  some of the chieftains built their own castles and villages grew up around these. But most of the people continued to live in the countryside.  

The Big House  

About 200 years ago while the poor people still lived in mud    cabins the local landlord usually lived in a Big House. This was   built by skilled tradesmen and was beautifully  decorated. Inside   the  house there was many rooms such as a large entrance hall,  a dinning  room , a sitting room , a card room, a library,  a kitchen      and usually five or more  rooms for the servants.

Modern Houses

Apartments

Apartments  are built on top of each other but flats sometimes are not.  Apartments are like flats except  apartments are  on top   of   one  an other.  Apartments and other different   houses are called modern houses.   Apartments   are the most modern places to live.  Apartments are more expensive than flats. 

Street Homes

In the old stone age, people did not have what we have today. Like central heating, ovens etc. In today's world we use bricks ,or in some places wood. When the Stone Age people were alive they had one room to live in. In today's world people have five or six rooms at least. Many houses need extra rooms so they are extended.

Around this time many people came towns and cities to find                                work there. They often lived in overcrowded conditions without running water or toilets. These bad conditions meant that people were often ill. On the other hand rich people lived in large comfortable houses on the edge of town.

Country Houses  

 When our great grandparents were children , the houses in which they lived were better than mud cabins , but not as   comfortable  as  the houses we live in today. The walls were   usually built with mud or stone and the roofs were thatched   with reeds, straw or rushes some roofs were tiled. There were    windows to let in light and a chimney to take away the smoke. 

Homes in the old Stone Age were the first homes, the homes today  are way more advanced.

 The End

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