The Vernacular House: Nerve Centre of Irish Tradition

Talk by Dr Barry O’Reilly

This talk will focus strongly on the kitchen as the ‘nerve centre’ of traditional family life, and on the supreme importance of the hearth.

Synopsis

Our vernacular (traditional) houses embody an immense volume of folk lore, custom and belief. While providing shelter, they were also a portal between the human and supernatural worlds. Protecting the ‘luck’ of the family, their homestead, animals and crops, meant never-ending vigilance, especially at key turning points of the traditional year. Our vernacular houses also embrace the community and its values and connect us with the deep past and with other cultures. This talk will focus strongly on the kitchen as the ‘nerve centre’ of traditional family life, and on the supreme importance of the hearth.

Biography

Barry O’Reilly managed the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage surveys of north and south Tipperary. He has an MA (in vernacular architecture) and a Masters of Urban and Building Conservation from University College Dublin and a PhD from Oxford Brookes University in the UK. He has lectured and guided walking tours many times on the architecture of County Tipperary. He lives near Fethard.

Lectures Booking:

Admission is €10 (cash only)

Booking in advance: museum@tipperarycoco.ie

https://www.hiddenhistory.ie/event/the-vernacular-house---nerve-centre-of-irish-tradition-o1ei5