Throughout the 13th in Ireland the majority of the population seemed to live in the Irish countryside. However there still were many towns and villages mapped across the Irish landscape. Terraced houses usually occupied the streets of most towns throughout the period (O’ Keefe 2000, 86). As well as terraced houses there was churches and commercial outlets for the urban dwellers to purchase goods. Hiberno-Norse houses in Waterford have been excavated in recent years. The town mills were very important as they “permitted careful regulation of commercial activity in settlements” (O’Keefe 2000, 88). Those who dwelled in medieval villages occupied their daily lives through agriculture; while those who lived in towns opted instead for industrial, commercial and craft activities.
This essay will discuss the different types of crafts that people worked at in Ireland during this period. Metalworking was possibly one of the most favoured and one of the most important. Like ordinary objects, impressive objects such as reliquaries and shrines were also manufactured (O’Keefe 2000, 102). Iron slag which is a by product of smelting have been found in excavations across Ireland, especially at Carrickfergus in county Antrim and at Boucher’s castle in county Limerick. Evidence has also been archaeologically excavated at Coney Island in Armagh and Lismahon in Down. However the majority of archaeological evidence comes from Cork. Metalworking seems to have been very important in people’s daily life throughout the 13th century (O’Keefe 2000, 102).
An archaeological site in Limerick known as Caherguillamore produces great evidence of this period. There were two houses alongside each other and were described as being peasant long houses. Agriculture seems to have been very dominant as the evidence shows (Barry 1987, 74). A wide range of metal objects has been uncovered such as knives, keys, buckles, shears and home ornaments. Other objects that were found to show agriculture was dominant was that of querns, spindle whorls, and even some whetstone have been excavated. Caherguillamore is just typical of any one Anglo Norman settlement (Barry 1987, 74). From the archaeological study of the soil it is thought that sheep rearing was the most practised. However horses were also in use because a rowel spur has been excavated as well as parts of horse trappings. These would have been very useful for the Anglo Norman farmer as they would have been used to pull ploughs and carts (Barry 1987, 81).
The medieval town of Newtown Jerpoint in Kilkenny was a 13th century medieval town, and probably one of its largest types in Ireland at the time. The site of Lough Gur is possibly one of the most well known 13th century sites in Ireland. There are two rectangular houses that exist side by side with a corn drying kiln-associated wit one of the houses. This was located on its own outside the house (Barry 1987, 81).
Maybe one of the most important every day industries that existed in 13th century Ireland was the production of woollen cloth, as sheep rearing was one of the most common farming practices. Even though the archaeological evidence is quite scarce, there were two big iron sheep shearing shears found at the Caherguillamore in Limerick and in Trim castle. There were also spindle whorls that were excavated from the moated site at Rigsdale in Cork (Barry 1987, 100). Milling was another very important industry of daily life, as all of the cereal grain could not be consumed unless it was processed beforehand. Corn drying kilns have been excavated in Waterford and another one at Milfreagh in Kilkenny (‘O Keefe 2000, 66).
Monasteries were very much part and parcel of 13th century life in Ireland. This period was definitely the most important time as in relation to that of the Anglo Norman influence. In Grey of Down the Cistercian abbey is one such example (Ryan 1994, 173). Anglo Norman lords dwelled in Augustinian houses like that of Kells. This period was very important for the building of parish churches and for the building of new cathedrals. The great Christ Church cathedral was built in Dublin between 1215-1235. This again was of Gothic style and it displayed how much of an impact the Anglo Normans had in 13th century Ireland (Ryan 1994, 174).
In conclusion this essay has given an account of what life was like in 13th century Ireland. This essay has incorporated the majority of the various and different activities that people undertook on a daily basis. This indeed was the period of the Anglo Norman arrival onto the island and they clearly had quite an impact on the native Irish especially through the many new buildings that were constructed. This essay has given an account of the main crafts and industries that existed from this period, which has been backed up by archaeological evidence.
Bibliography
O’ Keefe, Tadhg. 2000 Medieval Ireland, An Archaeology, United Kingdom.
Ryan, Michael. 1994 Irish Archaeology illustrated, Dublin.
Barry, Terence B. 1987 The Archaeology of medieval Ireland, London.
Mallory, J.P. & Macneill, T.E. 1991 The Archaeology of Ulster from Colonization to Plantation, Belfast.
