Cribyn, Part IV

Here you can see some modern conveniences coexisting with such an ancient shell.

Cribyn, Part III

Another photo from Cribyn; here you can begin to see how simply constructed the roof and walls are--again, just tree trunks and heather, loam and straw.

Cribyn, Part II

Another photo from the home in Cribyn.

Cribyn, Part I

One great household in particular was one we were shown in Cribyn. Here we found a father and son living in a house more than four centuries old, built out of loam and straw. The roof was made of tree trunks, the holes filled up with heather. It was completely authentic.

They slept together on the upper floor and they allowed me to go up there and take some pictures. It was amazing to see how such a house still served its purpose. Everything was still functioning as it was always meant to be, despite the extreme old age. The son told me that the year before they wanted to tear down a piece of a wall that no longer served a purpose. We are talking about a simple loam and straw wall, but it still took him the whole day to get it down.

It was as hard as a rock.

Over the week, more photographs of this cabin will be posted. Next week a series on my visit to Italy will begin.