Olive Sharkey Livres

Olive Sharkey is the daughter of farmers in the midlands of Ireland. 'I belong to a family which was the last in our district to relinquish the old ways on the land and in the home,' she says. Her research brought her to folk museums throughout Ireland and 'into the homes of fascinating elderly folk with surprisingly clear memories.' The daily and seasonal rhythms of life and work 'in the ould days' is recaptured, from building the house and turning the sod for a new crop, to saving the hay and burying the dead.

In a fast-paced, modern Ireland it can be difficult to imagine the daily lives of our nineteenth-century predecessors. However, in this book Olive Sharkey reconciles past and present with evocative descriptions of the lives, activities and material possessions of Irish people living between 1800 and the 1930s. The implements of the home, the farm, the garden and for home-crafts are recounted, with hundreds of detailed drawings in the authentic folk art style. These once familiar objects - bittles, butterworkers, noggins and truckle beds - are looked at anew in the context of the people who used them and depended on them for their livelihood.

Delve into the rich tapestry of Irish rural life, where communities thrived in harmony with nature, crafting their own furniture and clothing, and sustaining themselves through agriculture. This exploration highlights a time before the advent of electricity and industrialization, revealing how deeply connected people were to the seasons and their environment. It paints a vivid picture of a simpler, more self-sufficient way of living, offering insights into traditions and practices that have largely faded away.