HOUSES: thatched roofs were replaced by tiled roofs; earthen floors by carpets; open turf fires
by electric cookers (Ardnacrusha 1927); the candle by the bulb (Edison); the well by water on tap,
tenement blocks by council houses. In 1900 different social classes lived segregated lives in the
cities. Unskilled workers – tenement buildings; tradesmen lived in terraced, four roomed ‘artisan
houses’ and rich lived in the suburbs with servants. From 1930s local authorities began moving poor
from tenements – slum clearance – to large corporation housing estates. From 1960s= rapid growth
of large suburbs caused cities to “sprawl” outwards into the countryside. By 2000 increasing
housing prices caused many urban people to move and commute to the city for work.
EDUCATION: The Christian brothers were gradually replaced by lay teachers; to the three Rs
(reading, writing, arithmetic) were added manual subjects: institutes of technology were added to
the universities in the 1960s; (Donogh O’Malley) secondary education for the few became
secondary education for all in the 1960, from education for just males, became education for
women as well.
WORK:
Rural: 1900 – farming employed 60% of all workers- farm work done by hand - most people worked
in the country in 1900, now they work in towns and cities. If they worked in farms then, they work
in factories now; electric power (1940s) has replaced horse power; machine-made goods have
replaced hand-made goods; farming by hand (sickle) has been replaced by machines (combine
harvester) hand-milking by the milking machine. In 1973 Ireland joined the European Economic
Community (EEC -now EU) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) provided grants to improve farms and
guaranteed a set price for farm produce from the EU.
Urban: Work in the cities also changed. In 1900 most urban workers were unskilled – dockers and
labourers. Worked on a day-to-day basis and were paid as little as €2 per week. Skilled workers
(carpenters/painters) paid twice as much and regular work. In 1913 James Connolly & James Larkin
tried to improve conditions for unskilled by organising a trade union (ITGWU) and started the 1913
Strike and Lockout. Time passed and wages increased and more and more workers joined Trade
Unions- by 1970 most worked as 40hour five day week. 1960-1990 many new factories – many were
branches of foreign multi-national companies. By 2000 most urban employees worked in offices,
shops – service industries.
WOMEN: Early 20th century most women worked in the home/ farm work or domestic servants:
Women had no vote and no access to education - Now they have both. They were expected to
marry, have children and obey their husbands. Countess Markievicz and Hannah SheehySkeffington fought for women’s rights in Ireland. By 1922 women over 18 could vote. 1922-1960 –
women restricted by conservative, old-fashioned Ireland. Most believed that a woman’s place was
in the home. They were not allowed to sit on juries, Women in the civil service had to give up work
when they married, [“Marriage Ban”] From 1960s girls received more education – television
introduced new ideas and in the 1960s the Women’s Liberation Movement began. 1972, the
Commission for the Status of Women issued a report that brought an end of the ‘Marriage Ban” 1977 Employment Equality Act, which made discrimination against women illegal. There have been
two female presidents of Ireland in the last two decades: Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese.
However, in 200 only a small portion of women were TDs and in industry women did mostly low-paid
part-time work and only 18% of women were managers.
ENTERTAINMENT & LEISURE: Went from home-based entertainment in the early 20th Century
– visiting, chatting, playing cards and theatres in the cities to dance-halls and cinemas and in the
1920s and television and radio in the 1960s. Ireland got its first television station in 1961: Telefis
Eireann – television became so dominant that cinema’s began to close around the country. Shows
like The Late Late Show (1962) very popular and influenced Irish opinion. In the 1990s, the use of
Video, DVDs and placations rivalled the popularity of Teleivion.
COMMUNICATIONS: 1900 – letters main means of communication. Telegrams used for
occasional urgent messages. Telephones expensive and rare. Newspapers (Freeman’s Journal) only
form of mass media and main source of news. The invention of radio by Marconi (Italian), Ireland’s
first Radio station launched in 1926 – first called 2RN and later Radio Eireann - television by Baird
(Scottish) 1924, telephone by Thomas Edison, (USA) Telestar satellite television launched in the
USA in 1962 put an end to storytelling, ceilis and crossroads dancing. The first mega stars created
by records, radio and TV: Rudolph Valentino, Charlie Chaplin (silent films) 1920s, Elvis Priestly
(rock music) 1950s, Buddy Holly, Bill Hailey, Joe DiMaggio (baseball) 1930s. By the end of the
century communication was faster and more accessible. Mobile phones, email and Internet
revolutionised communications.
TRANSPORT: In the early 20th century people didn’t travel very far – most walked or travelled by
donkey & cart – the rich had horse-drawn carriages. The use of bicycles increased in the early
20th century. Steam trains used for long journeys and trams in the cities of Cork and Dublin. The
wright brothers 1903 made the first air flight in the USA 1927. Charles Lindburg flew the
Atlantic, the assembly line (Henry Ford) mass-produced the Model T car in 1908. Aer Lingus
founded in 1936, Shannon, Cork, Knock and Dublin airports – replaced the horse, the steam train
and the steam ship, 1960s jumbo jets, 1969 Armstrong lands on the Moon, 1981 the space shuttle
Columbia journeyed into space and back again. In 1944 semi-state body - Coras Iompar Eireann
(CIE) took charge of rail services. By the end of the century the over use of road transpot given
rise to traffic jams and air pollution in the cities: people encourages to use public transport –
DART system in Dublin and bypasses and ring road being built to reduce congestion.
FASHION: changed from dark and dull to Dior’s bright colours, from hats to no hats (cars) and
formal to informal, from loose to tight, from suits to casual, from traditional dress to the dress of
pop stars, from hand-made to denims (Levis) – a uniform for the masses which was mass-produced.
RELIGION: We went from having too many priests to too few, from no divorce to divorce, from no
contraception to contraception, from one religion to many religions, from all going to mass to some
going to mass, from confession once a month to few confessions, In the 1960s, all the bishops of
the world were called by Pope John XXIII (23rd) to a Vatican Council in Rome; they changed the
mass from Latin to English, got rid of the rule about not eating meat on Fridays, and began dialogue
(friendship) with other religions (ecumenism). If the bishops controlled the TDs in Noel Brown’s
time (1950s), they no longer do.
SOCIAL WELFARE: in 1908 Old Age Pensions were introduced, in 1934 Unemployment Assistance
(dole), in 1934 Children’s Allowance, in 1952 Unemployment Benefit (dole) for farm workers, in
1970 Unemployment Insurance compulsory for all workers, in 1970s Deserted Wives Allowance, in
1970 Single-Mother’s Allowance.
HEALTH: 1900 hospitals run by nuns (Bon Secours sisters) in 1924 the Department of Health set
up, in 1930 the Irish Hospital Sweepstake to provide money for health, in 1948 Noel Brown tackled
TB, In 1953 free maternity care, in 1971 regional health boards set up (regional hospitals) in 1970
VHI (private health care for those who could afford it.)
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