Standing starkly against a rugged backdrop of forestry, the remains of an old and abandoned house in Mullaghfad piqued the interest of one local.

A lonesome site, the house commands panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.
Hidden amongst the vast expanse of forest, it was only when trees had been cleared that the house caught the local’s attention.

Norman Lyons, who has lived in the Cooneen area for 45 years, was drawn to the ruin at Mullaghfad, some miles southeast of Fivemiletown, when he set eye on the site.

This started Norman on a quest to find out more about the house and those who had lived there, as well as what may have become of them and their descendants.

“While I venture up to the house, I am amazed at the workmanship that adorns the whole dwelling and outbuildings,” he said.

“This is not a building that was built on a whim...this was a dwelling that was laid out to avail of the view, while it was also able to withstand the harshest of weather conditions.”

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In his search for information on the history of the house, Norman believes it was built around the late 1700s.

“This was a two-storey, four-bedroom house with a slated roof. At the back of the house there was an enclosed stone-built courtyard, with an eight-cow byre, and several other buildings for various livestock.

“There are the remains of stone steps that led up to the barn loft. I can imagine bags of corn being brought up and laid out on the floor to dry.

“Clearly this was a house of distinction that was built way before its time.”
His research led him to discover this was, at one time, the home of Thomas and Elizabeth Coulter.

Married in June, 1879, they went on to have nine children, four boys and five girls.

“As I sit and ponder what life must have been like at this time, with no electricity, no running water, no bathroom, and a dry toilet – as was found in all households of this era – I think also of the daily chores carried out by the siblings when they returned from the local school.

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“I can see the family at harvest time, cutting turf in the bog, making hay in the meadows below the house, planting crops and tending livestock, and being totally self-sufficient.”

From his investigations, Norman believes that three of the girls married locally, while one is believed to have gone to America.

A son, Joseph, enlisted in the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons, later to serve with the Royal Irish Fusiliers, but was killed in action during World War One in Belgium.

His brothers, Charlie and Willie, remained at home working the farm.

It is a building that has made Norman think of life for its residents, and how the world has changed while the house crumbles and falls.

“While researching this house and family, I think of how far we have come in the past 150 years, and yet I think of how much we have lost.”