Corradreenan Farm House

The traditional thatched and white washed farmhouse was built in the 1750s and came from the small townland of Corradreenan West in southwest County Fermanagh. It was dismantled and moved to the Folk Museum in 1967.

The most distinguishing feature of the farmhouse is the sloping thatched hipped-roof. This roof style is thought to be of English origin. It is similar to other old houses in the area but more common in the neighbouring counties of Cavan and Monaghan.

Only two rooms, a kitchen and bedroom, existed in the original layout of the dwelling. By 1900 the house had been subdivided internally to provide five rooms. Arranging the living space in this way was common from the 1850s and resulted from new ideas about the need for privacy within the home.

The Corradreenan farmhouse was home to the Elliot family. They were a prosperous farming family who had lived in the farmhouse for four generations. The farm was about 18 acres but the family held other land in the area. By 1900, the Elliott farm had grown to 100 acres in size.

In the 1850s living conditions in the farmhouse would have been quite cramped. In 1851 eight people were recorded as living in the farmhouse. However by 1911 only three members were recorded as living in the farmhouse, Alfred Elliott, his wife Mary Anne and their youngest son Alfred, aged 16. In time, Alfred Elliott inherited the farm, married and raised his family in Corradrreenan.

The Elliott family left Corradreenan West in the 1930s. By the late 1960s the house had begun to deteriorate. The house was donated to the museum by Mr Glover Elliott, whose great grandfather William Elliott is reputed to have been born in the house in 1802.

At the turn of the 20^th century the kitchen was subdivided to add two small bedrooms, and the bedroom was altered to create a bedroom and a parlour, all with wooden floors to replace the original earth floors. The kitchen floor was tiled with locally made tiles and the back door added.