© Sandra Cleary 2007
This article will cover the main aspects of both ordinary and Higher Level Home Economics. Students should be very familiar with the layout of a paper, the numbers of questions to be answered, timing, style of questions and most of all content of the syllabus before sitting any
Leaving Certificate exam.
Planned revision is of the essence; therefore I have included a 9 week study guide, which must be followed if all topics are to be covered in time for June.
Home Economics is a very long and detailed course made up of a written paper and practical journal.
For students taking both the Higher and Ordinary
Level, the journal is worth 20% of the overall grade.
For students studying the Textiles, Fashion and Design
Elective the written paper is worth 70% and it is worth
80% for all other students. 10% of the overall grade is allocated to a garment which students have already submitted for the textiles Elective.
At this stage the Food Studies practical journal has been examined and graded for 2007 therefore this article will cover the written paper. Good luck!
SECTION A
LAYOUT OF HOME ECONOMICS PAPER
SECTION B
* 12 Short questions in this section.
* Students are required to
Answer only 10 questions.
* Each question carries 6 marks.
* Five questions in this section.
* Students must answer
Question 1 (80 marks)
* Two other questions must be answered (50 marks each)
SECTION C
* Three questions in this section on the Elective
Topics.
* Students must answer question (80 marks)
*Part A and either Part B or
Part C one
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TIMING
• Both Ordinary level and Higher level papers must be completed within 2 hours and 30 minutes.
• Answer Question 1 (Section B) first and spend
30 minutes on this question.
• Forty minutes should be spent on the Elective question next.
• Answer the two 50 mark questions after the
Elective question. Twenty minutes should be spent on each of these questions.
• Finally the short questions should be filled in.
There are spaces provided on the examination paper for the answers to these questions. Thirty minutes should be allocated to answering this section.
• If students follow the above timing guide there should be approximately five minutes left to read over the exam paper before you start the exam.
Week 1 Week 2
- Lipids
- Fats/Oils
- Cereals
- Specific Dietary
Requirements
Week 4
- Carbohydrates
- Fruit/Vegetables
- Irish Diet
- Irish Food Industry
Week 5
Week 3
- Consumer Studies
- Resource Management
- Textiles
- Household Technology
Week 6
- Minerals
- Milk
- Milk Products
- Fish
Week 7
- Vitamins
- Water
- Family Finance
- Methods of Cooking
Week 8
- Protein
- Meat
- Eggs
- Sensory Analysis
Week 9
- Food Additives
- Packaging/Processing
Labelling
- Food Spoilage
- Microbiology
- Domestic/Commercial
Preservation
- HACCP/Food Laws
- Topics from Chosen
Elective
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•
•
POINTS TO REMEMBER WHEN
APPROACHING REVISION
As mentioned earlier. Home Economics is a very broad subject covering a number of different areas. It is unlike some subjects where whole questions are devoted to one specific topic. For example, in the old Home Economics syllabus Question 1 might have been on Protein only. However if protein were to appear on the new style paper it may appear with other topics like Vegetarianism, Menu Planning, the Irish
Diet and Food Choices.
Therefore study inter-related topics together.
Practice answering questions from the last couple of years 2004, 2005 & 2006 and from sample papers.
Timing is important in the exam itself. Efficient time management is important in order to complete the exam on time. Therefore when practicing exam questions you must try to answer them in the time allowed in the exam.
There is no point writing out an ‘A’ answer that takes an hour when you are only allowed 35 or
40 minutes in the exam.
Follow the revision plan given above to ensure that you have the whole course covered.
Practice drawing diagrams particularly from the area of Microbiology, Household Technology and the Home Design and Management
Elective. A common downfall is students studying diagrams from their textbook or notes.
They know the different parts of the diagram from a given picture but if asked to replicate the diagram in the exam, they cannot do so.
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Students should note that eight out of twelve short questions are Food Studies questions. The remaining four questions are from Consumer Studies, Resource
Management topics and Social Studies (Core).
It has been mentioned earlier that students should answer these questions last.
If timing has not gone to plan (which of course will not be your case!) the short questions can be done quickly compared to the structuring of a long question.
Also, by the time you get to this section you will have answered questions on a lot of key topics and will be in a better frame of mind to tackle specific short questions than at the beginning of the exam.
The following short questions have appeared on previous papers at both levels.
Higher Level
Q4. 2006
Explain two factors that contribute to the spoilage of fish (6)
(i) Fish struggle in nets before being caught, using up their store of glycogen leaving no lactic acid which acts as a preservative.
(ii) Bacteria feed off the moist flesh of raw fish and produce trimethylamine (a nitrogen based compound) that gives spoiled fish a bad odour.
Q2. 2005
(a) State two functions of lipids in the body (2)
(i) Lipids are a source of fat soluble vitamins
A,D,E,K.
(ii) They protect delicate organs eg. Heart, kidneys.
(b) Complete the following table in relation to the digestion of lipids. (4)
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Digestive
Gland
Secretion Enzyme Change
Pancreas Pancreatic Juice
Pancreatic
Lipase
Triglycerides split to fatty acids and glycerol
Q9. 2005
State the function of each of the following parts of a refrigerator (6)
The thermostat - regulates the temperature of the fridge,
It is based on the working principle of a bimetallic strip where metals contract on cooling.
The Refrigerant - absorbs heat from warm food placed in the fridge. Liquid refrigerant absorbs heat from food and converts to gaseous refrigerant.
Ordinary Level
Q3. 2006
(a) State two functions of calcium in the body (4)
(1) calcification - laying down of calcium phosphate.
(ii) blood clotting along with vitamin K
(b) List two good dietary sources of calcium (2)
(i) milk
(ii) cheese
Q2. 2005
(a) Name two types of fatty acids and list one food source of each type. (4)
Type of fatty acid Food source
Saturated Meat
Unsaturated Vegetable Oil
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(b) What is an essential fatty acid? (2)
This is a fatty acid that cannot be produced by the body and therefore must be included in the diet.
Comment on short questions answered
• Students should try (particularly at Higher Level0 to give as much information as possible when answering short questions.
• Use all of the available space on the paper regardless of the language used in the question eg. 'state', 'list', 'enumerate' might suggest one word answers, however the fact that each question is worth 6 marks (i.e. 1
1
/
2
% of overall
• grade) indicates that a lot of detail is required.
Higher level questions will require a more comprehensive knowledge of the course eg. Q2.
2005 Ordinary Level (See above0 is quite basic.
If this type of question were asked at Higher level, students would probably have to name specific fatty acids eg. Stearic acid, linoleic acid rather than just give food sources.
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SECTION B
As mentioned earlier, Section B is made up of five questions. The first question must be answered and two other questions out of the four remaining questions.
Question One
This question is worth 80 marks (i.e. 20% of the overall grade). It is usually made up of four (2005) of five
(2004,2006) parts.
It is important to remember that this is an integrated question covering a couple of topics in the one question e.g. Higher Level 2006 Q1. was on Meat and Protein,
Higher Level 2005 was on Carbohydrates and Food
Labelling.
Finally, in 2004 this question was on Fish, Vitamin D and Heart Disease. Therefore, it would be very unwise to pick random topics to revise as the end result may be a student being unable to answer this compulsory question.
Ordinary Level students should be aware that the above information applies to them as well e.g. Q1. 2006 covered Carbohydrates, High Fibre menu and Food
Labeling.
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Possible Answer
(a)
VEGETABLE FAT ANIMAL FAT
Sunflower Oil
Reasons:
(1) Sunflower Oil has 66% polyunsaturates
Which are known as essencial fatty acids
which are thought to make blood sticky,
therefore easier to flow and less likely to
cause clots which may lead to a heart
attack/stroke.
Tuna Fish
Reasons:
(1) Tuna fish has 37% polyunsaturated
content. These include omega 3 fatty acids
which reduce the risk of Artherosclerosis.
(2) There is only 10% saturated fatty acids
present. Too many saturates can raise
'LDL' (low density lipoprotein) levels of
Cholesterol
(b) Fatty Acids
(i) Saturated
(2) In total tuna is made up of 63%
unsaturates which are thought to raise '
HDL' levels of Cholesterol in the blood i.e.
raise 'good' Cholesterol.
(ii) Monounsaturated (iii) Polyunsaturated
Structure
Source
Single bonds only
Mainly Animal origin
eg. Stearic Acid (Meat)
One double bond present
Olive Oil
eg. Oleic Acid
Effect on coronary Raises 'LDL' Cholesterol arteries (Bad Cholsterol)
Raises 'HDl' Cholesterol
(Good Cholesterol)
Two or more double
bonds present
Mainly vegetable or
marine sources eg.
Linoleic Acid (cereals)
Arachadonic Acid (Cod)
Lowers 'LDL'
Cholsterol
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(c)
•
•
Hydrogenation
This property in the manufacture of margarine.
Hydrogen gas is pumped into liquid vegetable oils (mainly unsaturated). A nickel catalyst is present and the mixture is heated to 200 o
C.
• Double bonds are broken as Hydrogen attaches to the free carbon spaces around the double bonds.
•
•
Cis fatty acids can change to trans fatty acids.
Result The mixture becomes more solid i.e. margarine.
Emulsions
• Lecithin (emulsifying agent) in egg yolk is added to olive oil and vinegar in the production of mayonnaise.
• Lecithin has a hydrophobic (water hating) part and a hydrophyllic (water loving) part.
The hydrophobic part attaches to the oil and the hydrophyllic part attaches to the vinegar keeping the fat globules away from each other so they cannot coalesce. The end result is that the oil and vinegar are in a permanent emulsion.
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(d)
• Include oily fish (salmon, trout) twice a week as they contain Omega 3 fatty acids which can reduce blood pressure and lower risk of heart disease.
• Include folic acid (brown bread, leafy greens, oranges) to lower homocysteine levels in blood.
• Include plenty of fruit and vegetables as an excellent source of antioxidants (prevent oxidation of polyunsaturates).
• Poach, grill, bake and steam food as no fat is added during cooking.
• Reduce intake of saturates (butter, cream, full fat cheese) as they can raise 'LDL' levels of cholesterol.
(e) Functional food: Benecol yoghurt
•
•
This food contains plant stanol esters.
They block the absorbtion of cholesterol in the intestine and pass out of the body.
(f)
(i) Personal
Culture - Italians tend to choose pasta as a main food source. Chinese choose rice or noodles, Spanish and
Portuguese eat a lot of fish. Natioanality will influence choice of foods.
Health status
If a person is a celiac they will have to avoid foods containing gluten (bread, biscuits, cakes). If someone is anaemic they must choose foods rich in iron (red meat, cereals, greens) and foods rich in vitamin C (citrus fruits)
(ii)
Educational
Marketing/advertising - food labels contain information about the nutritional content of food. They may emphasise that a product is low in salt or high in fibre.
This will influence some people to purchase the product.
Nutritional awareness - In general people are more aware of the importance and benefits of healthy eating on our bodies. TV programmes, health magazines, home economics classes inform people of healthy eating and the right food choices that should be made.
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(iii)
Economic - If a person has a limited income to spend on food they may have to choose cheap cuts of meat, fruit and vegetables in season and 'own brand' goods.
Those people that are not restricted to a budget can but exotic fruits, expensive meat and cheeses etc.
COMMENT ON QUESTION 1
• Pie charts or tables usually appear on this type of question. It is important to refer to some of this data when answering the question.
• No long paragraphs. All answers are in point format. The points may be brief or detailed.
This will depend on the language used in the question. Key terms like describe, evaluate, explain, give an account indicate more detail
• should be given in comparison to words like list, name, state and indicate.
Always read the marking scheme. This will help you to work out how long should be spent on each section of the answer. Often a key term can be misleading e.g. "List guidelines that should be followed for the diet of an obese person who is trying to lose weight" 15 marks. Obviously the marking scheme is 5 points @ 3 marks each.
Three marks for each point indicates a little elaboration is necessary. Compare this with another possible question, "list factors that affect our energy requirements" 6 marks. The same key term is used in both questions but the allocation of marks indicates detail for the first question and lists of points for the second.
Other Questions in Section B.
Social Studies
There is a possibility that one of the four 50 mark questions in Section B will be on the core area of Social
Studies. A trend appears to be developing.
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The following is a Social Studies question from the
Department of Education (sample question)
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Possible Answer
(a)
• Number of Partners In Ireland , monogamy is a legal condition of marriage. A person can only be married to one person at a time (one man and one woman). A person is a bigamist if they marry more than one person at the time they are still married to someone else.
Polygamy exists in other countries where a person can have more than one spouse
(i) polygny - one man and many wives e.g.
Muslims can have up to four wives.
(b)
•
•
(ii) polyandry - one woman and many husbands e.g.
Todas tribe in southern India.
• Age at time of marriage
In Ireland, a person must be at least 18 years old before they can legally marry. In other countries e.g. South African tribes, marriage is allowed when the girl and boy reach puberty.
Choice of Partner
In Ireland, people choose their partners of their own free will. They marry for 'love'.
In some cultures, endogamy is required. This is where people must marry within their religion, race or social class e.g. the Caste system in India. Also in Hindu culture betrothal of children at a young age (pre-puberty) is common.
Both partners must be of the opposite sex 9one man, one woman). Same sex marriages are not allowed in the Irish republic.
•
•
•
Both people must be at least 18 years old according to the Family Law Act 1995.
Three months notice must be given in writing to the County Registrar of the couple's intention to marry. This applies to Church and Civil
Ceremonies.
Marriage must be voluntary i.e. must be of the partner's own free will. Anyone who is married under duress, the marriage can be annulled.
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(c)
Marriage confers the following rights and
•
•
•
• responsibilities on each spouse.
• The right to each other's company i.e. to live together as man and wife.
The right to equal guardianship of children.
The duty to maintain each other.
The right to part of each other's estate.
The right to be consulted and to have your written consent before the family home is sold.
• The duty to rear children with due regard to their physical, social and moral welfare.
•
•
•
•
•
•
(d) (i) Importance of making a will.
• Reduces the payment of Inheritance Tax by those who inherit your estate.
• Protects your family business ensuring its survival for the next generation.
• Prevents unpleasant family rows over the distribution of your estate.
• Instructions can be left for the disposal of your body.
• Ensures that persons you have named receive the share of your estate you want them to receive.
(ii) Procedure of making a will
List your assets (actual and potential)
Decide how you want your estate to be distributed.
Choose an executor (Ideally two executors).
The will must be witnessed by two people.
Seek professional advice about taxes.
If you have underage children, name a guardian.
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MENU PLANNING
Menus may be asked as part of question 1 or may be included in Question 2 or 3. A tip to get full marks in a menu is to draw the framework of your menu beforehand including a column with the different servings from the food pyramid (see below).
• Give a brief introduction to your menu.
(i) State the nature of the disorder or give the main dietary requirements of the person mentioned in the question eg.
(ii)
Teenager.
List some foods that should be avoided from the menu.
(iii) List some foods that should be included.
• Write out the menu under the headings breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Draw a rectangular box around the menu.
• Always follow the food pyramid and current dietary guidelines.
• The dinner must have two courses (3 food groups in the main course and the fourth food group in
• the second course ie. Starter or dessert)
NB If a table of foods is given in the question you must include foods from the table or chart (at
• least 4 foods).
Students must also remember to stay focused on who the menu is for eg. A coeliac, a diabetic etc. and include relevant foods.
• The food pyramid is different for vegetarians, learn these differences before the exam.
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•
Sample Menu
"Plan a daily menu for a high fibre diet".
Introduction
1.
It is important to have adequate fibre in the diet to stimulate peristalsis and prevent bowel problems like constipation and diverticulitis.
2.
Avoid refined foods i.e. white food like white rice, white bread, biscuits, cakes.
3.
Include whole cereals, fruit, vegetables, nuts.
MENU
BREAKFAST
- 2 Weetabix
Natural Yoghurt/
Blueberries
- freshly squeezed Orange juice
LUNCH
DINNER
- chargrilled chicken strips
wholewheat pitta bread
lettuce, tomato, cucumber
- 1 Mango/Pineapple smoothie
- Peanuts/raisins (25g)
Vegetable Stir-Fry with
fillet Steak and served with
Brown rice
Strawberry/Rhubarb crumble
1 ² Dairy
2 ² Cereal Group
1 ² Fruit/
Veg. Group
1 ² Dairy
2 ² Cereal Group
2 ² Fruit/
Veg. Group
1 ² protein
1 ² Dairy
2 ² Cereal Group
2 ² Fruit/
Veg. Group
1 ² protein
SNACKS
1 Homemade flapjack
Carrot sticks/ hummus
1 ² Cereal Group
1 ² Fruit/
Veg. Group
NOTE The above menu should be accompanied with eight glasses of water.
NB Always follow current dietary guidelines . even though this menu is specifically 'high fibre', the foods in the menu are also low salt, low fat and low sugar.
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FOOD COMMODITIES
Topics include meat, eggs, fish, cheese, milk, yoghurt, fruit, vegetables, cereals, fats/oils. These topics regularly appear on both higher Level and Ordinary
Level.
HIGHER LEVEL ORDINARY LEVEL
2006- Q4 Short Question
(fish)
- Q1 Section B
(meat)
2005 - Q4 Short Question
(milk)
2006 - Q5 Short Question (eggs)
Q8 Short Question (cheese)
Q2 Section B (fish)
2005 - Q7 Short Question (fish)
Q1 Section B (meat)
2004 - Q4 Short Question (cereals)
Q1 Section B (fish)
2004 - Q5 Short Question (meat)
Q8 Short Question (eggs)
Q2 Section B (fruit/veg)
Key terms that appear in Food commodities questions include
−
−
−
Nutritive value
Dietetic value
Nutritional value.
A suggested approach to answering these key terms would be:
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EXAMPLE
MILK
NUTRITIVE
VALUE
Approach to answering this term.
________________
* Protein-
* List 6 nutrients.
*Give the % of each nutrient, type and examples present.
* Lipids
ANSWER
- 3.5% protein in milk
- it is high biological value protein =
high in essential amino acids.
- casein, lactalbumin, lactoglobulin are
proteins in milk.
- 4% fat in full milk, 2% low fat milk,
0.02% in skimmed milk.
- Mainly saturated fatty acids
- Cholesterol is present.
*Carbohydrates
*Minerals
4.5% present, disaccharide = lactose
- Calcium and phosphorous are present
- lacks iron
* Vitamins
* Water
A,D,E,K present in whole milk, B carotene in milk, lacks vitamin C
- 83% in whole milk
90% in skimmed milk
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DIETETIC
VALUE
Approach to answering this term.
________________
ANSWER
* Milk is suitable for children for
presence of calcium and phosphorous.
calcification process due to
* Give 5 points.
*Ask the following questions;
* Milk is essential for growth due to presence of protein =
suitable for teenagers and pregnant women.
(i) What groups of people should include this food in their diet? Why?
(ii) Who should avoid this food in their diet? Why?
* Low fat milk should be given to people with heart problems
because it contains less cholesterol.
* Milk should be served wih foods rich in iron and vitamin C
in the diet.
(iii) Are there any nutrients missing from the food. If so, how can they be compensated for in the diet.
* Elderly people and convalescents find milk easy to digest as
lipid is a fine emulsion.
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NUTRITIONAL VALUE = Combination of nutritive and dietetic value
Protein
- 3.5% protein in milk. High Biological Value Protein
e.g. casein, lactalbumin.
- Suitable for growing children and teenagers.
Lipids
- 4% Lipid in whole milk, 2% Lipid in low fat milk.
- Mainly saturated fatty acids present.
- Skimmed milk 9fat free) should be given to
those with heart problems.
Carbohydrates
- 4.5% carbohydrates in milk in the form of
disaccharide lactose.
- Supplies energy for all people.
Minerals
- Calcium and phosphorous are present
for calcification.
Vitamins
- Vitamin A for growth
- Vitamin D for calcium absorbtion
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CONSUMER STUDIES/RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
Another trend has appeared over the last three years.
Consumer Studies/Resource Management topics have appeared on at least one of the four 50 mark questions in Section B.
Consumer Studies is made up of three chapters
−
−
−
Consumer choice
Consumer responsibility
Consumer protection
Resource Management is made up of finance topics, textiles, household technology, housing issues and family resource management.
Higher Level
2006 - Q4 consumer responsibilities
and Family Resource Management
2005 -Q3 Microwave oven/ Hire purchase
Q4 Retail
Psychology/Consumer research/
Voluntary Consumer Protection
Agency
2004 Q3 Finance Topics
Q4 Consumer Studies and
Household technology
(appliance with heating element)
Ordinary Level
2006 - Q3 Finance/Local Authority
Housing
2005 - Q4 Finance
Consumer Credit Act 1995
2004 Q3 Insurance/Housing
Q4 Consumer
responsibilities/ Environmental
responsiblities.
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SAMPLE QUESTION ON CONSUMER STUDIES
Q4 2004
4. A responsible consumer will make informed choices when selecting goods and services, will know how to get best value for money and know how to seek redress if things go wrong.
(a) Discuss three factors that affect consumers’ decision-making when selecting goods and services. (12)
(b) Name two types of retail outlets where household appliances can be purchased.
State one advantage and one disadvantage of each outlet. (12)
(c) Set out details of a study that you have undertaken on a household appliance with a heating element. Refer to:
(i) working principle
(ii) guidelines for using the appliance
(iii) energy efficiency. (18)
(d) Outline the role of the Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act (1980) in protecting the consumer should the product prove faulty. (8)
Possible Answer
(a)
Varying household income
− The amount of disposable income available will vary between different families.
− Those on a limited income will have less money to spend on luxury items.
− Families with a large disposable income have greater choice when shopping. They are not restricted to buying 'own brand' goods or looking for 'special offers'.
Merchandising
− Retailers have a numbers of ways of trying to increase sales of products.
− Examples of these include special offers e.g. 2 items for the price of 1, buy 2 items and get the
2nd one at half price.
Packaging
− The shape, colour, materials used in packaging can influence shoppers to buy products.
− Products aimed at women are often in pastel colours e.g. fructis shampoo.
− The shape of the product helps consumers to recognize products e.g. dairygold, dawn Light and other dairy spreads are always in rectangular plastic cartons.
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Discount Store e.g. Argos Department Store e.g. Arnotts
Advantage
-Less expensive than department
Advantage
- Trained sales staff will give consumers 'professional' service.
Disadvantage Disadvantage
- No specialised sales staff
- More expensive than
discount store.
(c) DEEP FAT FRYER
(i) Working principle
− The appliance is plugged in and an indicator light comes on. This indicates that there is electric current entering the appliance.
− Heat is generated by electricity. This causes (a) the heating element to heat up which heats the oil, (b) the bi-metallic strip heats up.
− The bi-metallic strip is composed of two metals that expand at different rates when heated e.g. copper and invar. Copper expands faster than
− invar and the strip bends.
When the desired temperature is reached e.g.
190 o
C for chips, the strip bends and breaks the circuit. The indicator light goes off.
− The light goes off indicating electric current is disconnected = the heating element cools down
(cooling oil and preventing oil from overheating)
− The strip returns to its original position as it cools, he light comes back on and oil is heated again.
− This cycle continues while the fryer is on.
−
−
−
(ii) Guidelines for using the appliance
− Have the oil at the right temperature for cooking specific foods e.g. 190
o
C for cooking chips.
Never fill beyond the 'maximum line' with oil.
Clean oil regularly.
Follow the instructions.
(iii) Energy efficiency
− Replace the filter regularly so the appliance works efficiently = saving energy.
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− Do not 'half fill' the wire basket when deep fat frying as this wastes electricity.
(d)
• If the fault is recognized straight away i.e. after opening the box, the consumer is entitled to full cash refund if he/she returns the product to the shop.
• If a fault appears a few months after purchase, the consumer is entitled to a replacement, repair or credit note.
Other topics in Section B include Food Additives, Food
Spoilage, Microbiology, Food Preservation, Dietary
Requirements, The Irish food Industry, food
Processing/Packaging.
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SECTION C
Students should be aware that the Elective is worth
20% of overall grade (mentioned earlier).
Study all topics in each Elective before the exam as the first part of each elective question i.e. part (a) is obligatory.
Therefore if one topic is left out, it may be the very topic that appears in part (a). DON'T RISK IT!
Parts (b) and (c) of the Elective topic, students have the choice to pick one or the other.
Very few students take the Textile elective. The Social
Studies and Home Design/management Electives are equally popular with Leaving Certificate students.
A point that applies to all students is to familiarize yourself with up to date prices of fuels, floor coverings, wall coverings (Home Design/Management) and
Laws/New Bills (Social Studies).
POSSIBLE QUESTION - HOME DESIGN AND
MANAGEMENT
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Answer
1. (a)
(i) At the beginning of the 20th century 70% of Irish people lived in the countryside and 30% lived in cities and towns.
Rural Housing
• The most common house in the countryside was the thatched cottage. They had thick, solid walls, tiny windows and roofs were thatched with reeds or hay. Most cottages had only two rooms i.e. a kitchen and a bedroom to the right of the kitchen.
The front door was a 'half door'.
• In some houses there was a small room up under the thatch where the children slept. Some of the family slept in a settle in the kitchen. More prosperous farmers had an extra room called the parlour.
• Better off farmers lived in two storey stone houses with a slated roof and at least five rooms.
• Wealthy landowners lived in big estate houses.
• After the 2nd World War, thatched roofs were replaced with slates. Extra rooms were added.
• Some people moved to new single and two storey houses which they built near old cottages.
Urban Housing
• Most Irish towns were small at the beginning of the 20th century and houses were built around the main streets. They were either terraced or two storey stone houses and mainly housed working people.
• In the cities, many poor people lived in tenements
(large Georgian houses, previously owned by wealthy families). These houses were divided up and the rooms were let to poor people. Most could only afford one room.
• In the 1930's, the government gave grants to local authorities to pay for council housing which mainly consisted of two storey brick houses with plaster walls.
• Three storey flats with deck access were built in city centers. They consisted of two bedrooms, kitchen and a bathroom.
• In the 1960's high tower blocks of flats were built in Ballymun (now demolished).
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• Private developers built housing estates (detached and semi-detached houses, usually three
• bedroomed).
In the cities, old Georgian tenements were knocked down or crumbled to the ground.
• 19th century artisan cottages still remain in parts of the cities (Dublin-Liberties).
POPULAR HOUSING STYLES IN IRELAND.
Today only 43& of Ireland's population lives in the countryside.
Rural Housing
• Many old cottages built in the mid 1900's still exist in the countryside but they have changed in appearance due to extensions, double glazing, new bathrooms etc.
• The bungalow is a popular type of house in the countryside. Most of this type of house were built in the 1970's and 1980's.
• The dormer bungalow was a popular house style in the 1990's. These are spacious and blend fairly well aesthetically in the countryside.
• Today, Mock Tudor and Mock Georgian style houses are extremely popular.
• In tourist areas in the countryside, new tradional style cottages have been erected e.g.
Mountshannon, Co. Clare. (Some have thatch laid over their tiled roof).
Urban Housing
Approximately 57% of Ireland's population live in towns and cities today.
• Many old stone town house still remain in towns today. Most of them have been converted to shops and a lot of them are painted with bright coloured paint e.g. Dingle Town and Killarney.
• Very few people live over businesses in towns today (No remaining residents on Dublin's
O'Connell Street).
• Local authorities are trying to encourage people back into cities by building apartment complexes in city/town centers.
• The suburbs of towns and cities have developed so much that they are now referred to as urban sprawl. Detached, semi-detached and terraced houses in housing estates are very popular.
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© Sandra Cleary 2007
• There are local authority flats and houses in towns and cities as well.
• Price - i.e. money available to spend on a site.
Depending on the location e.g. views of a river and if the site is a serviced site i.e. near mains water.
• Proximity of shops -, schools, local churches, banks etc. must be considered.
• Site orientation - How much sunlight the site gets
• and whether it is a very windy location or not.
Near public transport route - i.e. near a main road or main bus route to go to work or take children to school.
CHOICE OF HOUSING STYLE CHOICE OF LOCATION
* Personal choice - Some people will only live in a two-storey house. They may dislike bungalows.
* Environment - the style of house must blend in with the style of existing houses in the area.
* Building regulations - you may want to build a two-storey but planning permission might only be given for a dormer bungalow.
* Fashion - There is a trend towards Mock Georgian style houses and stone faced houses in the countryside.
* Price - i.e. money available to spend on a site. Depending on the location e.g. views of a river and if the site is a serviced site i.e. near mains water.
* Proximity of shops -, schools, local churches, banks etc. must be considered.
* Site orientation - How much sunlight the site gets and whether it is a very windy location or not.
* Near public transport route - i.e.
near a main road or main bus
NOTE: - Students must answer one other part of this question. i.e. part (b) or (c)
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