Drone footage of abandoned houses in the Ox Mountains, Ireland

These abandoned houses have no electricity or running water, they were well built sturdy structures with slated roofs. There are a number of outbuildings which also give a fascinating insight into how families survived on this boggy mountain-side.Show more

There is also a cow byre where one or two cows were kept. A trail leads to the top of the mountain from where turf was harvested.

Life must have been a constant struggle for all those who lived in these mountain clacháns. Only the old Irish Meitheal spirit of neighbours supporting each other could have compensated for the lonely location and long trek to the local village.

This constant struggle to survive on this tranquil mountaintop, which on a fine day has panoramic views. Its a reminder of how our forebears struggled during another era when the greed and heartless power of a few caused such hardship for so many.

Locals say that the two families who lived close to the mountain summit both left in 1966.