The Irish Aesthete usually features houses that are somewhat larger than average but this week, by way of change, we turn our attention to a building of decidedly modest proportions. The townland of Ballilogue in County Kilkenny enjoys likewise humble status, located down a laneway with seemingly little to distinguish it from thousands of similar spots across the country. Also like so many other places, it was once more densely populated than is now the case. The 1901 national census records twenty-two houses in the townland, presumably all of them simple dwellings unremarkable except for the number of occupants. In one of these properties, for example, Cornelius Meaney, then aged 59 and one imagines a widower, lived alone. Not far away dwelt another member of the family John, together with his wife Bridget and their two sons, James and John aged two and one respectively. Ten years later, when the next census was taken, the household of Cornelius (now listed as being 70) had grown considerably: his 74-year old sister, another Bridget, lived with him, as did the younger Bridget by then the mother of seven children, the eldest (James) being twelve and Mary the youngest just three. Either her husband John had died in the meantime or had gone elsewhere in search of work to support his family. So the house where Cornelius lived alone in 1901 had eleven occupants in 1911, since the census also records the presence of a 29-year old servant called Michael Dunne, presumably a farmhand.
By the 1911 census the number of occupied dwellings in Ballilogue had halved to eleven, with sixty-eight people living in the townland. A number of them were further members of the extended Meaney family, including 54-year old Patrick, together with his wife Mary, their five children and Edward Flynn who, although aged just fourteen, was already listed as being a ‘servant.’ All eight lived in the house shown here, the origins of which are believed to date back to the 1700s although subject to many changes since. In her truly excellent 1993 book on Irish Country Furniture, Claudia Kinmonth notes ‘By the nineteenth century in Ireland, the term cottage was used disparagingly, mainly by visiting English. The term is not used in this text as it was considered derogatory by country people, who called their homes houses, regardless of size and status.’ Accordingly we shall here refer to the Meaney House, not least because so it remained until only ten years ago, inhabited by successive generations of the same family before being acquired by the present owners.
To quote from another splendid book, A Lost Tradition: The Nature of Architecture in Ireland written by Niall McCullough and Valerie Mulvin in 1989, typical Irish houses in the vernacular style ‘have a familiar character, cramped, linear spaces set out on a line of doors without beginning or end – in the manner of a Baroque palace with its rooms en enfilade.’ That link between Baroque palaces and humble Irish dwellings may seem fanciful, yet it is often the case that even the most unpretentious of houses derives inspiration from a grander type. McCullough and Mulvin continue by observing how these little buildings ‘have a natural classic balance in the arrangement of simple materials and structure, in the proportion of gables, the relationship between thick white walls and small square windows, in the heavy oversailing roofs and primitive trabeaten doorways.’ This perfectly describes the character of the Meaney House, which is typical of the dwellings occupied by the majority of this country’s population for hundreds of years, although compared to many of the others it can be considered relatively large and well-appointed.
Traditional house types differed somewhat across Ireland, not least according to whatever materials were available for their construction, and how prosperous was the region. With regard to this part of the country, the Meaney House displays some familiar features of the Irish domestic dwelling, beginning with an entrance placed at the centre of the front and given a small porch in order to shield the interior from the worst effects of our weather. One then steps straight into the main space which, as was almost always the case, is dominated by a large hearth. This was used for cooking purposes (note the crane which allowed kettles and pots to be swung over the fire) but also provided a focal point for sociability: residents and visitors alike gathered here and the large recess beneath a hooded canopy supported by a massive beam running the width of the house allowed everyone to enjoy additional warmth. Immediately behind this is the house’s best room, the equivalent of a parlour, often kept for use only on special occasions and in the Meaney House distinguished by having a cast iron chimneypiece. On the other side of the central room are two bedrooms, with a ladder staircase in one providing access to another sleeping chamber immediately beneath the roof.
Another common feature of these houses was the versatility of their furnishings. Because space was at a premium and occupancy levels high, very often items served several purposes. The most obvious example of this is the settle bed, which acts as a bench during the day but then at night the seat can be opened, the bedlinen stored inside spread out and a place for sleep thereby created. Dressers, on which china, kitchen and dining utensils would be kept, might have a lower section open except for a series of bars: chickens would be kept here at night to keep them save from predators. A side effect of this was that hens, benefitting from the warm environment, continued to lay eggs all winter.
Inside the Meaney House, as these pictures show, recesses in the walls were also used for storage, the doors’ interiors lined with pieces of patterned paper: those close to the hearth would often hold food that needed to be kept dry, such as tea, sugar and salt. The utilisation of every available space emphasised utility and frugality, but also a desire to maximise comfort in our relatively harsh climate.
Today the Meaney House is part of a larger agglomeration of buildings restored and developed by the present owners as a retreat where guests may come to stay. When they acquired the house, it still held the greater part of the former owners’ possessions and a decision was taken to retain them in situ and to preserve the interior as an example of how most of our forebears lived until relatively recently. As little as possible was done to disrupt the building’s character or to alter its accumulated patina. For example the corrugated roof, certainly a 20th century intervention under which the older thatch still survives, was not changed. Similarly inside the house the concrete floor – again probably laid at the start of the last century as it would previously have been just compacted earth – has not been touched. The old pieces of furniture remain in place, as do most of the household goods and so forth. Some pieces previously kept out of sight are now on show: plates and platters have been arranged on one of the bedroom walls while pieces of broken china discovered in the immediate vicinity are arranged in a circle and framed. Likewise an assortment of abandoned footwear found outside has been placed on the shelves of an old pine hanging cupboard. These pieces, literal objets trouvés, further enhance the experience of visiting this little house and improve our understanding of its former residents. The Meaney House demonstrates that despite their poverty our ancestors could build with superior taste and a better understanding of the Irish environment than is usually the case today.
For more information about the Meaney House and the many other marvellous facilities at Ballilogue, see: http://www.ballilogue.com
Hi,
Loved your blog today – am a huge fan of Irish vernacular, and great that you’ve covered it. Would love to see more. Am a big fan of your blog – often tweet it out etc via my company site @underthethatch
We’re a small company that uses profits from renting holiday cottages to restore vernacular buildings at risk – we’ve two in Donegal and another in Fermanagh. This one has some nice vernacular Irish furniture in it that I’ve repatriated from antique dealers abroad: http://www.underthethatch.co.uk/croagh
I’ve just self-published a photo book on Donegal cottages to try and raise awareness of their plight: http://www.underthethatch.co.uk/book
It was written, designed, printed in Donegal and bound in Dublin (the only binders in Ireland) – we;ve gone out of our way to make it an entirely Irish product (even though it increased the production 3 fold). We’re not making any profit on it, but possibly you’d consider giving it a plug sometime. It isn’t distributed through bookshops outside of Donegal (where we hand deliver) as the distributor costs make it unfeasible (they take 55% of retail = actual production cost). You can see some of the images from it here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.324872995028.337326.557015028&type=1&l=ba62ccaabb
Feel welcome to use any in your blog
all the best Greg
Thank you for getting in touch, most interesting to see your site. I shall be in contact with you about your book and work, but for now wish you all the best wish both.
Wonderful. Thank you!
Delighted you have enjoyed this. Thank you for getting in touch.
Great post as always and delighted to see on broadsheet today that you received a prize at the blog awards. Congrats. Well deserved.
Thank you, I hadn’t realised any other media had covered the blog awards, so appreciate the notice of broadsheet.ie
As I live in a purpose built Palladian hovel,in Kerry, your post today delights me. Is this the start of a ‘see’ change?
We need finally,in 21st century Ireland to understand that stylish living is not about the money spent on one’s house. An American gentleman who owns an hotel and three very stylish houses himself told me when I was building mine that the most luxurious thing he could imagine was to build a house with no resale value!
A ‘purpose-built hovel’ sounds most interesting, if perhaps a tad perverse? One sees and seeks beauty in all things, large and small, rich and poor – neither size nor price are of significance. Thank you for your contribution and interest.
A really lovely piece, I like the way you mentioned the people living there too. Well done to the current owners; many of the pieces look like those on display in NMI Collin’s Barracks exhibition on Irish furniture. Is the settle bed pictured? I’m hazarding a guess that the 5th photo shows it, but it looks quite high for its width. Also, do you know if the idea of settle beds are Irish in origin? I know they were used in medieval times but not if they were particular to us…!
Thanks as always – this post is a special treat. Sorry for all the questions!
Michael
Sadly no settle bed in any of these pictures altho’ I know them well: aeons ago I used to be a board member of the Irish County Furniture Society, which eventually (as I recall) donated its collection to the National Museum, which is where you may have seen the pieces. As for whether settle beds are uniquely Irish, I will have to check on that (library kept elsewhere) and will revert to you accordingly but thank you, as ever, Michael for your enthusiastic interest. And questions are always welcome!
P.S. No apostrophe in Collins Barracks (as ever, the pedant in me coming to the fore…)
Great, thanks. Settle beds get a mention in the contents of sale of Powerscourt Castle in 1720s. Have always thought they were ingenious.
Pedantry welcome, I’d be disappointed if you didn’t point it out…!
Most gracious of you (as always). I shall revert once I have more information on settle beds (aside from Powerscourt which, one knows, is of particular interest to you…). And, having slept in one, I can also report they are ingeniously comfortable.
A truly inspired piece of sensitive preservation – so many of the ideas make me think of ways to display our own objets trouves better. If only more simple buildings were treated with this level of respect!
Dear Tim,
Thank you for your comment. I rather thought you would respond with favour to this house; when I saw it first, I thought of your own restoration. Trust this finds you both well.
Is there not a settle table, as opposed to a settlebed, to the side of the food press? It has a hinged back rest to enable it to be brought down for use as a tabletop.
Thank you for getting in touch. Yes indeed that is a settle table that can be seen; it was let down for meal times and then hooked back onto the wall to permit more space in the room otherwise.
Hello Robert
Hope you are well. Often hear of you from Martin who I meet in London from time to time. Just re-read the fine considered piece you did on the Meaney House.
In the process at present of a renovation at Ballilogue and if you don’t mind I’d like to include a link to In The Vernacular on the site.
By the way the site address has changed slightly, it’s now http://www.ballilogue.com rather than ballilogueclochan.
Kind regards
Pat
Dear Pat,
Good to hear from you and to know work is taking place at Ballilogue. Name of site duly noted and changed.
Feel free to provide a link with this piece, we are always happy to spread the good word…
Hi Robert,
Thank you. That would be great. It’s now http://www.ballilogue.com not http://www.ballilogueclochan.com as the site previously was. We’ll add the link..terrific blog!
Best
Pat
Dear Pat,
Many thanks, change to website address has been duly made. Best of luck with the enterprise.
Thanks Robert
Lovely entry, Robert. Long time, no see! I am booked in to The Lodge at Ballilogue this coming September and very much looking forward to it, as well as experiencing The Meaney House, in the mortar, so to speak. I hope you are keeping well. Eoin
Thank you Squire Higgins (good nom d’internet): I sometimes see your name when browsing on AerLingus flights so assume all remains good with you. Enjoy the Lodge, they work hard there to make it work (so be kind…)
Squire Higgins is merely a sobriquet … http://www.ecis.ie/francis-higgins/ … so kindness is a given, although, by the looks of things, I doubt they need to rely on the kindness of strangers at Ballilogue!
I’m admiring the cottage photograph with the old bicycle, and am curious whereabouts in Ireland this is ?
Thank you for getting in touch. If you read down the post, you will see that the location is as follows: : http://www.ballilogue.com
Hello, the white four door press above, it looks like one set of doors is a replacement, can you tell by the hinges which design is the original ?
Thank you for getting in touch: as you can see, that photograph was taken five years ago, so I cannot remember too well the press and its doors. My apologies…
What an brilliant blog, and great photos. Thanks for your enthusiasm and quote from my 1st book. Anyone interested in the origins of the settle bed or indeed the settle table, in Ireland, might enjoy my 3rd, most recent book which explains and illustrates ALL about that: ‘Irish Country Furniture and Furnishings 1700-2000’ (Cork University Press, 2020, €39). Whereas my 1st book (which you kindly quote from) is long out of print. The settle bed was by the 1640’s introduced through planted settlers from England (what a pity, that we can’t claim it as an original Irish design!), but it was widely adopted here as perfect for large families in tiny houses. It was, I suppose the original sofa bed… It crops up in every Irish county (but I spotted it listed in an early English inventory). The settle table (another clever, frugal space-saving variant) also has English origins, but it became popular predominantly in the south east of Ireland. There was a settle table here in this Meaney house, recently acquired by the National Museum of Ireland, which is great news, as it’s now saved for the nation. It has a large letter M cut into one arm… Signed copies of my recent 2020 book can be ordered via my website on request…www.claudiakinmonth.ie
Claudia Kinmonth’s 2020 book on Irish Country Furniture and Furnishings is also to be highly recommended…
Thanks for the heads up, Robert.
All the best
Pat