Difference between labourer and farmer in records?

[NewHudsonRyans]

I am curious about the distinction between a farmer and a laborer in civil records.

When looking at death certificates, for example, I usually find people who lived in rural areas identified one of these ways.  Was a laborer usually a farmhand?  If so, where did he live?

For example, I know that my g-grandfather originated in Cooneen, but although there are multiple men there named Michael Ryan listed in Griffith's and the Cancelled Land Books through the 1890s, none of these men are him (based on his emigration date).  Still he lived somewhere there until 1865.

After emigration he worked as a coal miner in Pennsylvania.  There are some silver/copper/coal mines near this part of Tipperary, but none within walking distance of Cooneen, so I expect he did something else there.  What sort of work might that have been?  What did a laborer typically do in rural areas in the 19th century?

[KGarrad]

A farmer either owns the farm, or more likely, rented/leased the farm.
An Agricultural Labourer worked on the farm, and often lived in a tied cottage.
Meaning that the cottage was tied to the job.

[Maiden Stone]

A labourer might have worked on a farm or might have done other manual work.
Farmers in Ireland sometimes called themselves landholders. 
There was a distinction on census returns between "farmer's son" (or "farmer's daughter" ) and "farm labourer". A great-uncle of mine was a farm labourer when he was living in England and working for a wage at a farm where his younger brother was the farm bailiff (manager) and lodging in his brother's tied farm cottage. He returned to the family farm in Ireland and was then a "farmer's son". He would have done the bulk of the work on the farm although his aged widowed mother was officially the farmer (and landholder) & head of household. He became "farmer" after his mother's death. His younger brother resigned his farm bailiff position and returned to Ireland in order to temporarily take over his father-in-law's farm when f-i-l was ill. He stated his occupation was farmer on registering his son's birth. He returned to England to take up a farm tenancy and was a farmer for the rest of his life.     

[Elwyn Soutter]

In Griffiths a farmer will normally have a house, offices (ie outbuildings) & land. A labourer will usually just have a house, or sometimes a house & garden. So it’s usually fairly easy to tell whether the person was a farmer or labourer by the type of property they were in.

If you can’t find your ancestor, bear in mind that Griffiths isn’t a census. It doesn’t list everyone. It doesn’t list people who were lodging with someone else, eg living with friends or the in-laws, it doesn’t list servants and others who weren’t head of household. Most importantly it doesn’t list properties below a certain value. If your property was of a very low value, it wasn’t worth taxing and so didn’t get listed at all.

[NewHudsonRyans]

I wonder about something else as well.  In 1852, my g-grandfather was about 35 years old.  I would guess that he would have normally lived in his own cottage at that age.

Or is that wrong?  How likely was it that he lived with a family member, maybe his father or brother?

I'll attach a diagram I made of the residents of Cooneen from the 1846 House Book through the valuation update of 1893.

In Cooneen in Griffith's there are two John Ryans, and I believe his father's name was John.  There are two Michael Ryans listed, one nicknamed Michael Ryan (John) and I thought ah HA!  But this Michael continued occupying that dwelling long after my g-grandfather emigrated.  The other one I know was associated with another Ryan family, the "Ryan Rogers" of Cooneen, and I don't think we're directly related.

I can't see how either John was his father.  Maybe one was a brother.  There was also a Patrick Ryan who was likely close to his age, and I think he had a brother named Patrick.  Perhaps he lived with him, or with his other brother John?

[Lola5]

When you look on Griffifths valuations see who the Ryans leased their land from.
Often a father a son  both farmers would lease their land from the same land holder.

An Irish farmer who owned his land was not usual...especially if he was a catholic..

Irsh farmers who leased land usuually worked the land themsellves and their children helped.
But often those related lived close to one another.,each with a few acres .

Remember some of those cottages would be very basic with families crammed in.

As an agricultural or farmer,s labourer your Ryan ancestor may well have lived with relatives until he emigrated or may have worked for a nearby farmer.
By 1852 he had experienced  famine, saw the decimation and decided to try for a better life.

A lot of Irish farmworkers went to work on building the railways in England or emigrated to America or Canada taking whatever jobs they could
In  Ireland , in the 1840,'s farmworkers were building roads for a pittance...that is if they were fit enough to haul stones.

After about 1901 tenant farmers were allowed to buy their rented land.
Was your Ryan ancestor married when he emigrated ?

[Maiden Stone]

A lot of Irish farmworkers went to work on building the railways in England or emigrated to America or Canada taking whatever jobs they could

They also did other construction work and seasonal farm work in Britain. They may have returned to Ireland for winter if they were ag. labs. or when whatever job they were doing finished or if family circumstances prompted a return home. They may have had basic living conditions when working in Britain (common lodging houses, railway camps, lodging in their employer's house or outbuilding with other workers) Sharing their parents' home in Ireland with siblings & extended family was no hardship, at least they were with people they knew and trusted. 

[NewHudsonRyans]

My g-grandmother's brother moved from Tipperary to England in 1855 where he worked as a collier.  Afterward, he emigrated to the same town as my g-grandparents in Pennsylvania where he also found work as a miner.  My g-grandfather worked in the same coal mine there.

Is it possible that he may have worked either in Silvermines, or Hollyford, or some place else where there were mines in the mid 19th century?  It's about 4 1/2 miles, straight line distance, between Cooneen and Silvermines.

[Maiden Stone]

Is it possible that he may have worked either in Silvermines, or Hollyford, or some place else where there were mines in the mid 19th century?  It's about 4 1/2 miles, straight line distance, between Cooneen and Silvermines.

Hollyford's copper mine operated periodically between 1837 and 1862. Brief history with map showing location of mines https://www.mindat.org/loc-294786.html
Mining at Silvermines continued until 1874. Metal prices dipped in 1850s, miners weren't paid and went on strike.
Events at Hollyford and Silvermines may have caused your GGF's brother's move to England in 1850s and your GGF's emigration to Pennsylvania in 1865.
Miners in Britain relocated when their particular industry was in recession or their local mines were worked out. e.g. Cumberland iron ore and slate mines attracted Irish people and Welsh coal miners; some Cornish tin & copper miners went to coal mines in northern England. 
Walking 4 miles to work and home again after was nothing for a man who was fit enough to work in a mine. It would add an hour to the start & end of his day. Children worked in mines in Britain, some of them very young, and in testimony to a government enquiry spoke of walking to & from work almost asleep, holding their father's hand or being carried.
Was there a railway line at the time? When did Nenagh-Tipperary line open? 19th century trains had 3rd class "carriages" for working people. They were open trucks at first and were later roofed to keep rain off. Some of my English ancestors were stonemasons and quarrymen; the first railway line connecting their village to the nearest town was constructed to carry stone before there were passenger trains; some workers travelled in trucks on top of the loads - a risky journey as stones sometimes slipped.
Your ancestor might have lodged near work, perhaps with a workmate's family. People were used to sharing a bed. If there was a night shift at the mine a bed could be occupied in shifts.