As if it weren’t already hard enough for city folk to find a wife, the farmers of Ireland have been striking out for quite some time. One of the biggest obstacles was the difficulty of finding a wife as most of the eligible women had emigrated. Imagine growing old to no one but your animals. Always feeling lonely. Watching your siblings with their spouses and children, feeling like you missed out. Always asking, what if? Years of sacrifice and no children to pass your land to. Empty. Alone.
In the late 1800s the poor economic state in rural Ireland caused many to emigrate. With what seemed like no hope for employment, the boat was the only answer. In some cases whole families emigrated leaving their parents at home. However, one sibling was to stay at home and care for the parents. In most cases this responsibility fell on the shoulders of a son who was also expected to look after the farm.
A typical farming family would consist of a father in his late sixties, a mother at least twenty or more years younger. After the death of the elderly father, the mother was still a relatively young and wouldn’t like the idea of sharing the house with a new woman, her daughter in law. Many young widows were also in great demand by local bachelors and many of them did remarry.
Some marriages were mergers rather than marriages and if the woman wasn’t bringing in land the marriage was discouraged because parents were fearful of losing half the farm in the event of a break up. Sticking to the old way of hard labor also discouraged women from marrying farmers. In many cases, more than one son stayed at home because of the hard labor in farming. While it may have been easier for a new bride because she doesn’t need to do farm work, she would have had to care for more than one man. If a man did find someone to marry the woman would be expected to move into the family home, which did not appeal to women because of living with her mother-in-law or poor living conditions.
The years slip by and the bachelor’s chance of meeting a wife diminished with every passing year. Now in his 50s and caring for his elderly mother, who still owns the farm, the stay at home son seems destined to be a bachelor for life. Many turn to the pub with disastrous consequences. Many farms and land are exchanged in pubs and shops in order to pay off debts, as seen by many pub and shop owners having large quantities of land and property. There are new things trying to put some love in these men’s lives. Dating sites and meet ups have been introduced as a tool for these men and now with the tools it’s a mater of using them. Psychologist and sociologist have also been working with the bachelors to help them overcome their loneliness, depression, low self-esteem, and introduce them back into the dating scene.
Although many men chose to stay single for lots of reasons. Many farmers stayed single, devoting their time to caring for parents, farming, and being able to live as they wished, single.
The award winning Pilgrim Hill tells the story of a middle aged farmer and the trials of his life. Created in 2013 by director Gerard Barrett the film will have you feeling how lonely life as a bachelor farmer really is. To check out the trailer click the link below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLT9o5uG3rc
In the late 1800s the poor economic state in rural Ireland caused many to emigrate. With what seemed like no hope for employment, the boat was the only answer. In some cases whole families emigrated leaving their parents at home. However, one sibling was to stay at home and care for the parents. In most cases this responsibility fell on the shoulders of a son who was also expected to look after the farm.
A typical farming family would consist of a father in his late sixties, a mother at least twenty or more years younger. After the death of the elderly father, the mother was still a relatively young and wouldn’t like the idea of sharing the house with a new woman, her daughter in law. Many young widows were also in great demand by local bachelors and many of them did remarry.
Some marriages were mergers rather than marriages and if the woman wasn’t bringing in land the marriage was discouraged because parents were fearful of losing half the farm in the event of a break up. Sticking to the old way of hard labor also discouraged women from marrying farmers. In many cases, more than one son stayed at home because of the hard labor in farming. While it may have been easier for a new bride because she doesn’t need to do farm work, she would have had to care for more than one man. If a man did find someone to marry the woman would be expected to move into the family home, which did not appeal to women because of living with her mother-in-law or poor living conditions.
The years slip by and the bachelor’s chance of meeting a wife diminished with every passing year. Now in his 50s and caring for his elderly mother, who still owns the farm, the stay at home son seems destined to be a bachelor for life. Many turn to the pub with disastrous consequences. Many farms and land are exchanged in pubs and shops in order to pay off debts, as seen by many pub and shop owners having large quantities of land and property. There are new things trying to put some love in these men’s lives. Dating sites and meet ups have been introduced as a tool for these men and now with the tools it’s a mater of using them. Psychologist and sociologist have also been working with the bachelors to help them overcome their loneliness, depression, low self-esteem, and introduce them back into the dating scene.
Although many men chose to stay single for lots of reasons. Many farmers stayed single, devoting their time to caring for parents, farming, and being able to live as they wished, single.
The award winning Pilgrim Hill tells the story of a middle aged farmer and the trials of his life. Created in 2013 by director Gerard Barrett the film will have you feeling how lonely life as a bachelor farmer really is. To check out the trailer click the link below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLT9o5uG3rc