Basketmaker’s and Fisherman’s Houses

Where are they from?

This row of three houses comes from the townland of Ballyvollen, on the southeastern shores of Lough Neagh in County Antrim.

Why are they special?

The importance of this row of houses lies in the fact that the core of the structure is an old 1600s oak cruck-framed house. These cruck trusses are rare examples of an English type of construction introduced to Ulster by English settlers during the 1600s. Today, there are very few surviving examples of English-type cruck trusses in Ireland. It is likely that the central house was erected first, followed by the larger house at the east end and then the smaller house at the west end. 

Another point of interest is the unusual variant of wattle and daub used to build the partition walls. This involves the weaving of twisted straw rope around upright studs (in one instance, birch, and in another, of oak) and the application of clay daub as a kind of plaster. 

Who lived there?

Many generations of people lived in the houses from the 1600s until the 1950s. Little is known about the earliest inhabitants of the houses but presumably, they were mainly drawn from local families of farm workers, labourers, and fishermen. 

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the spinning and weaving of cotton or flax provided work for some local people in their homes. Some women were employed as outworkers who undertook whitework handkerchief embroidery in their own homes. For some men, basket making was a part-time (or, more rarely, full-time) occupation. The land in this district, with its high water table, was suited to growing willow. Basket making is a long-established tradition around Lough Neagh. In 1830, makers in the regions were producing rush floor mats, straw baskets and bee skeps. 

Because these houses were rented, families tended to move on, so no one family can be associated with any particular house for a great length of time. 

In the early 1900s, two brothers lived in the central and large end houses of the terrace with their young families. Both Hugh and William McGarry were fishermen on Lough Neagh. Hugh was also a noted local boat builder. In the summer months, he ferried daytrippers to Ram's Island, about two miles offshore from Ballyvollen. He won several sailing races on Lough Neagh.

Hugh and his wife Eliza married in 1905 and they raised their three children in Ballyvollen until the 1920s. William married Maggie Laverty and had three girls - Rita, May and Lily. They lived in Ballyvollen until the 1930s.

The Road to Cultra

The houses were surveyed in 1983 by local history teacher Heather Thompson. The larger end house still had a thatched roof, while the other two had corrugated roofs. Beside the houses were the remains of once-flourishing fruit, flower and vegetable gardens. 

The houses were removed stone by stone and rebuilt at Cultra between 1995 and 1999, officially opening on 6th June 2000,