A trip to the Farm Family and Rural Life Village will take you back to times gone by. The village aims to emulate life in the Irish countryside as it was in 1916. It will do this by recreating an old country cottage, schoolhouse and shop and by demonstrating some of the crafts that were a key part of life in rural Ireland at that time.

The vast majority of Ireland’s 3.1m people in 1916 lived in rural areas. Small, thatched, two- or three-room cottages with no running water, sanitation or electricity, often accommodating up to a dozen people across three generations were the norm.

A typical west of Ireland cottage from the 1916 era will be recreated in the village. The thatched cottage is to be furnished with authentic pieces from the era, including a settle bed, a coop dresser (with hens housed in the lower half), a cailleach (sleeping bag) and of course the focal point of all homes at the time: the hearth, fully equipped with crane and cooking pots.

You will be welcomed to the cottage by the “woman of the house”, who will talk about the typical duties of rural women of the day, such as making butter, baking bread, curing bacon, tending to the livestock, bringing water from the well and making and mending clothes.

She will regale you with stories of life at the time, including common folklore, such as the dressing of baby boys as girls for fear that the faeries would steal them,, or the placing of the fire tongs over the cradle – which was also believed to keep away the faeries.

Formal education finished for most at 10-11 years old

From the cottage you can make your way to the schoolhouse. In 1916 there were about 9,000 primary schools in Ireland. While primary education was free from 1831, public funding for schools was very poor and there was very little formal training of teachers.

Children were encouraged to bring their own sod of turf to heat the school. Secondary education was fee-based and the majority of children finished their formal education at the age of 10 or 11, as they were needed to contribute to the upkeep of the family.

Schools in 1916 were not full of the fun and games and smiling faces we see on children today. Corporal punishment was an unfortunate part of everyday school life and school was a terrifying experience for many, with children regularly beaten by the master’s cane for minor mistakes or a bit of messing.

Visitors to our 1916 event can experience a 1916 schoolhouse – without the corporal punishment of course. Our schoolmaster will re-enact the curriculum of the era.

Children will be invited to participate in a class of the time and to experiment with ink pots and blotting paper, to view maps of Ireland and the world as they were then and to be exposed to the typical lessons of the day.

The village will also include a marvellous photographic exhibition of schools in county Galway, taken around the 1916 period.

food accounted for 57% of average household expenditure

A combination of self-sufficiency and poor cash flow meant shops were not very common in rural Ireland in 1916, but those that existed were small and sold a gamut of goods including agricultural provisions, hardware and food stuffs.

Shops in rural towns came to life on the fair day, and many customers bought on credit – only paying off their debt after harvest time or if they had a good day at the fair.

Recent analysis by the Central Statistics Office shows that the variety of food products for sale was very limited but expensive by today’s standards. For example, a dozen eggs in 1916 cost the equivalent of almost €5 in today’s money, more than two and a half times the price they can be bought for today.

The CSO estimates that 57% of average household expenditure was spent on food and non-alcoholic drink in 1911, compared to just 11.4% in 2011. There will be a re-creation of a typical 1916 shop from rural Ireland at the event in Athenry.

Shopping lists of the time, including the typical items of mutton, lard, tea and flour and their prices will be displayed. Visitors can view the typical provisions on display in “Jack Murphy’s” shop and interact with the shopkeeper.

Crafts

The key crafts of rural Ireland in 1916 will also be on show at the event.

Crafts on display will include a cooper, who will make wooden barrels and casks using techniques of the era.

A thatcher will demonstrate the skill of thatching roofs.

The various items that were made from willow and reed during the period will be demonstrated by a basket maker. These will include the ciseán, lobster pots, the sciob for straining potatoes, the creel for carrying fish and the seat of the sugán stool.

A tailor and cobbler will provide a display of clothing and footwear of the era, while a tin-smith will demonstrate the techniques and tools used at the time.

We look forward to welcoming you to Athenry on 10/11 June for what will be a wonderful experience. CL