At Curraghatoosane, we found the remains of a traditional thatched, two-roomed house that was occupied from the early nineteenth century until the 1950s.

The house was typical of many in the area at this time and had walls built from stone and mud with earthen floors and a large central hearth. The house was surrounded by neat cobble-lined drains that channelled water away from the walls.

In the twentieth century the earthen floors were replaced with more modern concrete floors. We found a large quantity of artefacts belonging to the inhabitants of the house including pottery fragments, buttons, nails from the roof, a thimble and a child of Prague statue.

Using historical documents, including the 1901 and 1911 censuses, we were able to establish that the house was occupied by the O’Connor family from the 1850s to the 1950s. The last occupant of the house was William (Bill) O’Connor. He is still remembered by many neighbours in the area.