Early Irish History and Antiquities and the History of West Cork
« Pagan Irish | Contents | Roads »
Dwelling houses in Ireland in pagan times were round, and the quadrangular shape, which was at first applied to churches, did not come into use until long after the time of St. Patrick. They were all wooden houses, made of wattles or hurdles, and finished with plaster. English dwellings up to the reign of Henry VII. were made of similar materials. We find no traces of stone buildings until after St. Patrick's time, and those were very small churches. From the sixth to the twelfth century, masonry and architecture made great progress, which the round towers, churches, and edifices erected in that period, prove.