Households and social status in the deserted village at Slievemore, Achill Island, Co. Mayo, Ireland

Abstract

The village at Slievemore was abandoned shortly after the Irish potato famine. The stone structures remain visible on the landscape and have been surveyed several times, both archaeologically and architecturally. Even with many buildings remaining, little is known about the specific inhabitants of the Deserted Village (D.V.) during its occupation. This study was undertaken to see how much of the space within the houses was devoted to human living, as opposed to that used by the cattle that shared the space, and from that, how many people might have lived in each dwelling by comparing the houses at the D. V. with other household archaeology studies. Also, the possibility of house features being a demarcation of social status amongst the inhabitants was considered by using the measurements and features of the houses and comparisons with similar villages.