The Celts in Ireland lived in round houses and crannógs. A roundhouse was typically between 6 and 15 metres in diameter and its walls constructed from wattle and daub. Daubed walls were very effective at keeping the heat in and the wind out. Interior walls were lime-washed, decorated with circular designs or embroidered wall hangings. The house entrance usually faced towards the rising sun. The roof was conical in shape and made of thatched straw.

At the centre of the house was an open-hearth fire over which a bronze cauldron was suspended from a tripod, by a chain. Cauldrons, kettles, wooden bowls, cups, spoons and ladles would be arranged around the hearth.  Scattered on the floor were animal skins and rushes. Storage pits for food were dug into the floor, lined with a basket and covered with wooden lids to preserve its temperature. Meat and herbs hung from the rafters. Around the house there would be furniture such as wooden stools, tables and chests and there would be a loom for weaving cloth. Beds were built upon platforms with layers of straw, covered with animal skins and woollen blankets.

Crannógs were similar in appearance to roundhouses; these dwellings were situated on artificial islands either built up from the bed of a lake or on wooden platforms raised on stilts over the water. The structure was joined to the shore by a walkway.