Princess Margaret, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine

Margaret, Princess of Hesse and by Rhine was the wife of Louis, Prince of Hesse and by Rhine, the last prince of the House of Hesse-Darmstadt. Born in Ireland, she became a noted art patron in her adopted homeland of Germany.

Boys wore dresses until age ten

Boys traditionally wore dresses or petticoats until they were around age ten or eleven to protect them from fairies or for sewing convenience.

Men wore formal three-piece suits outdoors

Men routinely wore three-piece suits featuring a jacket, waistcoat, and trousers, usually accompanied by a hat such as a trilby or cap when outdoors.

All-night music at house dances

During house dances, a single concertina player often provided music, performing continuously from dusk until daybreak.

Competitive squatting dance for men

The Cripple Dance was a competitive display where men danced in a squatting position to the reel known as The Swallow's Tail.

Early motor transport services

By 1910, the Midland Great Western Railway company began operating motor vehicle services between Clifden and Westport to transport passengers.

Affordable railway and steamer travel

Traveling by Irish railways in this period was remarkably affordable for people of modest means, with return tickets for third-class rail and steamer passage available for as little as £2 12s. 3d.

Limited Access to Electricity

Electricity usage was very low; by the early 1920s, fewer than one-third of the 40,000 houses in Dublin had electricity installed.

Overcrowded Dublin Tenements

In Dublin, about 78 percent of working-class tenement lettings were single rooms, with some houses packed with as many as 98 people sharing a single water tap in the yard.

Inexpensive scrap meat dinners

Working-class dinners often consisted of soups and stews made from inexpensive scraps such as sheep's heads, pig's feet, fish heads, and cockles.

Tea and bread staple diet

By 1904, average urban tea consumption reached nearly twelve ounces per week per family, often paired with white bread as a staple of the poor.

Weekly food and clothing costs

A typical weekly budget for an unskilled Dublin labourer in 1913 allocated 4 shillings for bread and 2 shillings for meat or fish. Women's boots cost between 8 and 11 shillings in 1914.

Weekly wages for Dublin workers

Around 1904, an unskilled male worker in Dublin typically earned about 18 shillings per week, while a skilled worker like a printer could earn around 35 shillings.

Long working hours and no holidays

While the standard working week was around 60 hours, some laborers were expected to work up to 100 hours a week without established holidays. Before the widespread adoption of the Saturday half-holiday, many factory workers faced 12-hour workdays.

Unskilled labour and casual work dominated Dublin

In early 20th-century Dublin, the majority of male workers were casual, unskilled labourers, such as dockers or carters, who often faced unemployment and had to seek work daily. Domestic service was also a common occupation for women, who were frequently paid very low wages.