Irish families were characterized as being patriarchal, stem-extended, large, strong, and stable for much of the twentieth century. Studies completed during the 1930s and 1940s propagated this depiction. These characteristics made Irish families an exception to the convergence of family patterns going on worldwide. Historical scholarship and empirical data are used to assess the accuracy of this characterization, chart changing patterns, and compare changes in Irish families to families in Sweden and the United States. The stem-extended family reigned as an ideal type but Irish families emulating these characteristics were prevalent only briefly in rural western Ireland. Rapid, radical, and broad changes in Irish family patterns since the 1960s are heading toward convergence at a pace considered exceptional.
