A very useful and interesting - and beautiful ( which always helps ) book on how the ordinary Irish people lived their lives in Ireland in the late 18th,19th and early 20th century is; IRISH RURAL INTERIORS IN ART by Claudia Kinmouth, published by Yale University Press, HB, ISBN 0-300-10732-3 It covers all aspects of life - cooking, work, interiors of the house and workshop, beds and ways of sleeping ( very informative ), weddings and wakes, holy days and holidays, pubs and shops, and health and education - from illustrations using contemporary paintings and drawings. And it is so revealing, really, really helps to understand how our families lived, covering all Ireland. My brother gave it to me for my birthday, and a nicer present I could not have had. Mary p.s. Amazon have it.