The word "large house" (Irish: teach mor) refers to the country homes, mansions, or estate houses of Ireland's ancient landed class, sometimes known as the Anglo-Irish class. Houses like these were built mainly between 1720 and 1840 by wealthy merchants and landowners.
These grand houses had large gardens surrounded by high walls for protection from intruders and the wild animals that may have inhabited them. The buildings were usually constructed in the English or Scottish style but often had features such as greenhouses, towers, and other exotic decorations to make them more appealing to their Irish guests.
Inside the house, the main room was the dining room where important people were invited to dine with the family. Other common rooms included the drawing room, library, and ballroom. There were usually also servants' quarters attached to the back of the house. In smaller towns and villages, the house might be divided into separate apartments for each family member.
People at all levels of society were involved in building houses. Large land owners hired builders who worked under local master carpenters who in turn employed labor gangs of men and boys to build houses within specified time limits. These masters carpenters were usually members of local craft guilds and they played an important role in establishing building standards throughout Ireland.
There are many different types of residences in Ireland, including bungalows, two-story houses, and numerous types of farmhouses in the countryside. Cities and towns are clogged with housing estates made up of three or four-bedroom, two-story residences. There are also a handful of significant period residences, as well as hundreds of castles in various states...
Bungalows are by far the most common type of house in Ireland. They are small, usually one story high, and usually have four rooms: a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Two people need about 1,400 square feet of space for themselves. Three people need about 1,900 square feet, and four people will need about 2,500 square feet.
Farmhouses are the main residence on farms. They often have more than one floor and several rooms, but they always include a cooking area, a living room, and a bedroom. One farmer I spoke with had five bedrooms in his farmhouse!
Castles were important fortifications for cities and towns throughout history; some still stand today. There are about 150 castles in Ireland. The best preserved ones are used as museums or guesthouses.
Palaces are large, luxurious homes built for kings and queens. Only two palaces are left in Ireland: Dublin's Dalkey Island Castle and Lismore Palace in County Waterford. Both were built in the early 19th century.
A housing estate is a collection of residences and other structures constructed as part of a single development. The word "estate" is commonly reduced to "estate" in the United Kingdom and Ireland, especially when preceded by the specific estate name, but is not so named in the United States. Estate may also refer to:
An estate is an area of land with common boundaries and usually managed by one person; this person is called an "Estate Manager". There are two types of estates: freehold and leasehold.
A freehold estate is one where the owner of the land can do anything they want with it, including selling or building on it. They can even take their time doing so without causing the estate to be void. A leasehold estate is one where the owner of the land cannot build on it or sell it without the permission of the holder of the lease. The lease length varies but generally speaking, you will never own your home; instead you will only ever have a right to use it under a license from its owner.
In Ireland, an estate is a group of houses built by a developer as part of one large project. It usually consists of between 15 and 30 homes and they are usually situated in a new suburb or village. Although there are some older estates (some dating back to the early 20th century), these are rare.
In the Dawn of Ireland novels, a clay-and-wattle home is referred to as a teach, which is pronounced similarly to "chalk." A brugh is a bigger, multi-roomed building. Brughs were usually made of stone but could be wood as well.
In ancient Ireland, a house was called a "fort" or a "bastion." The word "house" itself comes from the Latin habitat, which means "dwelling," and this is probably where we get the word "habitat" for places like homes and hospitals. Before the Romans came to Ireland, these dwellings were made of wood or mud with some grass or thatching for roofs. When the Romans arrived they built many large cities such as Dublin, which have survived today almost completely intact.
As civilization progressed more and more people moved out of towns into villages and then into neighborhoods within walking distance of shops and schools. By the 19th century most people lived in houses built of brick or stone with two or three rooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Some houses had lawns, others didn't. Most had electricity, running water, and flush toilets by the 1950s.
Today most people only know about Irish country houses, which are usually larger than American ones.
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