The Great Famine (1845-1849) left hunger and misery in its wake and caused a serious setback to what little progress had been made previously. Often whole families were wiped out and others forced to seek their fortunes overseas - in Britain, America, Canada, Australia - and indeed every corner of the globe. Today, in the USA alone, the Irish diaspora exceeds forty five million.

By the mid eighteen hundreds, between death and mass-emigration, the Irish population fell by almost five million - men, women and children - a devastating blow from which it took the survivors a long time to recover. Some never did, and many died penniless and heartbroken at the loss of home and loved ones.

Always a resilient nation however, Ireland struggled on, and by the early twentieth century, Irish cottages were built with much more attention to detail...both inside and out. Before building commenced, deep trenches were dug out by hand, and filled with stones. Mortar or clay was used to bind the stones together.

The hearth wall was built up to roof level with stone, and where available, stones were also used to construct the outer walls. Where clay was more readily available than stone, internal partition walls were built with a mixture of clay and wattle - a method known as wattle-and-daub (sketch right). Strange as it may sound, a mixture of straw and cow manure was often added to the clay as a plasticiser.

Although flagstone floors were more popular and easier to clean, clay was often used in the making of floors. The clay was tamped down tightly, often with a deep trench running down the middle of the floor to allow washing water to run out. Bog oak - strong, durable and readily available - was used for the roof rafters. Building methods differed greatly from region to region, but here in the northwest, the method of construction is described fairly accurately by E E Evans in his 'Irish Folk Ways' (London 1957):

'The coupled rafters are joined by one or two cross-ties secured by wooden pins, and pegs driven into the rafters to hold in place the long purlins which support a layer of branches or thin lathes of bog fir. On these rest a warm blanket of carefully fitted sods (scraws), an essential element in the traditional roof, keeping out cold and damp and serving as a hold for the rods (scollops) with which the thatch is secured.'

The practice of insulating with sods was always used in Donegal, ensuring that the house was warm and snug during the cold winter months and amazingly cool, even in the warmest summer.

At first glance, it might seem that thatched roofs were the same throughout the country. This perception is far from the truth. In the poorer regions of the west and south, heather was often the only available material, and in coastal areas, marram grass was widely used for thatching.

In the north, where the linen industry flourished, flax thatch was common, while rushes had to do for those in waterlogged areas. Not only did the available materials determine the method of thatching - climatic conditions played a big part, both on the design of house and on the roof finish and fixing.

At one end of the scale were the tiny one-roomed houses, described as 'hovels' by the many visiting English diarists of the time (mostly affluent people) who were amazed and even shocked by the crude living habits of the native Irish - as if our poor ancestors had a choice in the matter!

In many cases, a two roomed cottage often housed a family of ten or more - with no internal plumbing or sanitation whatsoever…and where a spring well was the only source of clean water, often being shared with neighbours who had no wells on their land. At the other extreme was the thatched mansion, very rare in rural Ireland, and without doubt belonging to the better off. When a family was lucky enough to have good land to work, it was possible to make a reasonable living, but for the vast majority of native Irish, stony or boggy ground was more likely to be their lot - making life hard in the extreme.

The thatched mansion was the forerunner of the Georgian house and some examples still exist today - although the original thatched roofs will invariably now be slated.

Prior to 1800, window taxes were levied by the number and size of windows, therefore the Irish tradition of the small cottage window was born - not only by tradition, but more often by necessity.

To cut down on taxes windows were made as small as possible, allowing only the minimum of daylight to enter. Consequently, through lack of fresh air, typhus was common and many died from the disease. As a result, the tax became known as The Typhus Tax.

An integral feature of many Irish homes of the past was the traditional half-door. Its advantages were great, especially when the windows were so small and in many cases, not able to be opened.

The half-door allowed both daylight and fresh air to filter into the house - at the same time keeping hens and other animals out, and crawling babies in. For those inside, seated by the fire or at their dinner, the half-door also gave a fine view of any approaching visitors.

Irish country life was built around the family. It was common for a son or daughter to marry and share a house with elderly parents, who invariably slept in the warmest place.

Beds varied greatly in design...from a basic wooden box structure with a sacking covered straw mattress in the poorest houses, to curtained four-posters in the wealthier homes. Some beds were built into an alcove of the house (left), while others were known as outshot beds...box beds, usually placed by the wall next to the hearth. Many poor families slept on rush mats on the floor, while (in Donegal especially) it was at one time common for whole families to sleep in one big bed...some at the head and some at the foot. This type of bed was known as a 'truckle', because the frame was raised on truckles to ensure a dry bed in times of flooding, or where there was a clay floor drawing dampness.

The press bed was a bed which folded into a cupboard when not in use. This type of bed was handy where space was restricted. Another type of bed common in most Donegal houses was the settle bed, known just as the 'settle'. A remarkably clever idea this, until bedtime a box-like seat, which then folded down into a large bed, sleeping up to six or eight people, depending on its width. Settle beds were made by local carpenters - often carved and ornamental - and can still be seen in some Irish homes to this day (see sketches below).

In the far off days before any form of public transport existed, people would travel long distances on foot. Farmers had to drive their livestock to and from market (or fairs as they were called) and the return journey often took more than one day.

Similarly, many women had to travel long distances to collect yarn from the various knitwear merchants who supplied the wool - and paid a pittance for the finished stockings and gloves - the knitting of which Donegal women of old were renowned. These journeys often entailed an overnight stop at some house or other along the way.

Such was the warmth and friendliness of the people in those days, that every country cottage had an open door and a warm welcome for weary travellers. They would be invited to share in the simple family supper - likely to be potatoes and buttermilk, or a bowl of Indian Porridge (stirrabut) - sometimes, a bowl of hot tea (or a tot of poitin) and given a shake-down bed by the kitchen hearth. This was nothing more than a 'battle' (or bundle) of hay or straw teased out. When hay or straw was in short supply, rushes - always plentiful - made do. If the settle-bed wasn't being used by the family, this would be pulled out for the guest. Most cottagers of the time were known to keep a candle or a lamp burning in the window to light the way of the traveller.