Housing a Nation

Following seven generations of a family as they move through history, beginning with a nineteenth-century labourers' cottage and ending with a present-day quest to get a footing on the property ladder, Housing a Nation paints a picture of how and where Irish people have lived in the past — and shows us how each era and generation has influenced the state of housing in Ireland today.

From the shadow of the Big House to Ballymun's high-rises, from the Land League to the Celtic Tiger, this book reveals how housing reflects deeper struggles over class, nationalism and ideology.

A landmark history blending archival material with social commentary, Housing a Nation shows how homes are more than places to live — they are the lens through which we understand identity, power and belonging. And the key to imagining a different future.