Dublin’s Lodger Phenomenon in the Early Twentieth Century

Abstract

Lodging and boarding were well-established housing options which played an important economic and social role in early twentieth-century cities, yet there has been little academic study of the phenomenon in an Irish context. For many people arriving to Dublin in search of work, as well as for adults who were not in a position to establish a separate household, lodging was an important accommodation choice. Offering lodgings was also economically beneficial to householders. Drawing on a range of sources, including census returns, city electoral rolls, newspaper and other archival sources, this article will examine the demographic and socio-economic profile of lodgers and the households in which they resided in Dublin in the early twentieth century. A wide variety of arrangements and durations of lodging is revealed for the period centred on the 1911 census, suggesting that this form of accommodation appealed to a diverse range of individuals due to their economic or family circumstances, or need for mobility.