In 1910, Eva McConkey’s greatgrandfather bought a brand new house in the village of Glasnevin, just outside Dublin. A century later, Glasnevin, just two miles from Dublin’s city centre, has long been overtaken by a city that he would hardly recognise, but the Edwardian red brick home he bought is still in the family.
His great grand-daughter, Eva McConkey, and husband Ian, moved into the downstairs flat in the house in 1994, initially renting it from Eva’s parents. Three years later they bought the house, replacing the roof soon afterwards. ‘At that stage, we couldn’t afford to forego the rent from the students in the flat upstairs, so we just lived in the downstairs, continuing to do so when first Louis, then Oliver arrived,’ says Eva.