Serena Armstrong-Jones, Countess of Snowdon

Work

Wages and Long Apprenticeships

While a glass worker earned £8 to £10 weekly in the 1950s, many trades required long, underpaid apprenticeships lasting six or seven years.

What people wore

Durable everyday clothing for men

Farmers and working men frequently wore the báinín, an off-white flannel cardigan or jacket made of pure wool. Everyday trousers for men were often made of heavy, durable corduroy.

Daily life

Strict schooling with ink and fireplace heat

Most children attended national school, where they sat in rows and used inkwells and pens to write. Strict teachers often used physical punishment for misbehavior or failing to memorize lessons, and many schools relied on a fireplace to heat the classroom during winter.

Work

Common Unskilled Occupations

The most common occupations were unskilled work in factories, docking, or agricultural labor, often in a market with few opportunities.

Music

Rise of commercial dancehalls and showbands

The 1950s saw a shift from traditional house dancing toward commercial dancehalls and a thriving showband scene.

At the table

Staple Foods of Irish Families

In many households, families relied on inexpensive staples such as porridge, bread, potatoes, and cheap meat cuts like sheep's heads, oxtails, and pig's feet for stews. Potatoes were so central to the diet that a pyramid of them in the middle of the table was a common sight to ensure everyone was fed.