David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie

What people wore

Versatile shawls as essential female attire

During the late nineteenth century, women commonly used versatile shawls as headscarves, shoulder wraps, or for carrying children, with patterned designs like paisley often being more expensive than plain wool versions.

Getting around

Fast Rail Travel by the 1890s

By the 1890s, railway improvements enabled the limited mail train to travel from Cork to Dublin in three hours and fifty minutes. This performance established a standard for travel between these major cities that remained in place for approximately half a century.

Music

Common traditional instruments used for music

Common traditional instruments included the fiddle, uilleann pipes, tin whistle, flute, melodeon, and concertina, often played solo at gatherings.

Daily life

Cooking and Schooling Realities

Cooking was done entirely over an open fire using iron pots or a pot oven; families often boiled Indian cornmeal stirabout for 45 minutes as a staple meal. Children walking to school were expected to bring their own fuel, such as a piece of turf, as a heating fee for the schoolhouse fire.