Dr. Barry O’Reilly, from Fethard,  has a long standing background in both archaeology and folklore/folklife and has written and spoken extensively on vernacular housing and settlement. Until the mid-nineteenth century the vast majority of people in Ireland lived in houses they built themselves with the support of family and neighbors. This pattern of both dispersed and small rural settlements continued well into the 19th century in a pre-industrial  society that depended on subsistence level agriculture. The style of house drew on long standing traditions stretching well back into antiquity and embodied the beliefs and world-view of the individuals and communities who built them. It has been replaced in the 20th century with engineer/architect designed and pattern book buildings, extensive urban and suburban settlement.