Magheragallan Byre Dwelling
/Collections/Buildings/town-buildings/Magheragallan)
To us this combined dwelling house and cattle byre might represent extremely grim living conditions, but it probably wasn't as unhealthy as we might imagine.
After a while the smell would not be noticed and throughout the winter the animals provided a certain amount of heat. It would be wrong to imagine that these people cared any less about hygiene than we do - standards were simply different.
Built of local granite, the structure was originally located in County Donegal on the north-western coast of Ireland. The practice of housing people and animals together links the west of Ireland with the rest of the Atlantic fringe of Europe - the same arrangement is found in Scandinavia, Scotland, Brittany and Galicia.
The house was one of a cluster of houses (clachan).
The attached farm consisted of 2 acres (0.8 hectares) of arable land and commonage, the right to graze cattle and sheep on common land, of 60 acres (24.3 hectares). Life on this farm was harsh, the land was generally of poor quality and the location was one that offered few comforts. The thatch is tied down to stone pegs built into the walls to preserve it from the full force of Atlantic weather.
The 2 acres of arable land enabled the family to grow potatoes and some winter feed for their cattle. The thick wool coats of sheep meant they could survive the rigors of winter weather but cattle needed shelter. By spring several tons of manure would be removed from the byre and used as fertiliser.
Original location: Megheragallan townland, Burtonport, County Donegal
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