What was Anne's life in Kilcumnin like?

I wonder what the Hoey cottage in Kilcumnin looked like. Our family story tells us "their homes were poorly furnished and the only heat was from a fireplace in the kitchen. They burned peat (which is great heat) but the only warm spot was just in front of the fireplace."

An 1841 Irish census shows that 50% of rural Irish families lived in single room cabins; and that the majority of Irish families were rural. At this time, these homes had thatched roofs, dirt floors, and few if any windows; as you may have surmised, running water and electricity were not available. The cabins were white washed -- three to four times a year -- a task which fell to the women. Furniture was minimal and the family would eat around the fire - on which the food was prepared.

Potatoes were a dominant part of the diet, along with buttermilk. Tea was becoming more fashionable and common when Anne was a little girl. Whiskey was drunk at social events and family gatherings; men and women both drank whiskey - although when it was time to drink in the local pub -- that experience was reserved for men.

I've read that Irish girls often wore red -- a lucky color that kept away the fairies and refrained from wearing green (worn by the fairies.) Lynch-Brennan mentions red petticoats in one description. This same story notes that girls from West Ireland, as Anne was, wore flowered bodices and red skirts.

Again, Margaret Lynch-Brennan's work, The Irish Bridget is to thank for my brief thoughts. Her accessible book is impossible to put down and has brought me tremendous joy. I am also finding, that the more I learn, the more questions I have!