In the latter half of the 20th century, people in Ireland sought, and were encouraged to seek, a better standard of living. This involved, above all, improved housing conditions. But in rural areas there was very limited assistance for the large numbers who wanted to build new homes.
In 1971, Jack Fitzsimons published Bungalow Bliss. The book contained 20 standard house designs, as well as general information on building a new house. It immediately caught the public imagination. Over the next three decades, Bungalow Bliss went into 12 editions, and many people around Ireland built their homes from the affordable house plans in its pages.
However, while there were those for whom new homes in the countryside meant emancipation and opportunity, there were those who decried the houses as blots on the landscape. The blame for a multitude of woes was laid at the bungalow door.
