Robert rented a small section of land from his father, Liam. Liam had always had a hard time getting a living out of his original fifteen acres, but Robert had an even harder time living on an even smaller section of land. Luckily for Robert he was able to pay his rent to his father, and later his sister, through services, so he could focus on growing potatoes for food. Robert married Catherine Pearse, and raised three sons, Roy, Sean, and Donal. The birth of her last son was hard on Catherine, and she remained sickly afterwards. When the famine hit, lack of food and her weakened condition quickly killed her.