School: Páirc na gCrann (roll number 16042)
- Location:
- Woodfield, Co. Mayo
- Teacher: Seán Ó Cearnaigh
Open data
Available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
- XML School: Páirc na gCrann
- XML Page 25
- XML “Old Houses”
Note: We will soon deprecate our XML Application Programming Interface and a new, comprehensive JSON API will be made available. Keep an eye on our website for further details.
On this page
- In former times the people made their own houses from stone. These houses were very low and untidy because hens and cows are often kept in them.All the old houses were thatched and roofed with bog-deal and straws. More of them were roofed with flags and then thatched was put over the flags, to keep them from being blown away if a storm would come. They were thatched with ry-straw, oats straw and rushes which they had sown and saved themselves. In this way they roofed their houses. A common thing in the old houses was a bed in the kitchen known as the "hag" or the "outchat". This bed was made of bog-deal and straw or feathers if there was any to be got, and was usually placed at the side wall. These beds were very common and one of them were found in every old house. The fire was always in the gable wall and is still but the old people never heard of the fire been in the centre of the house on the floor. There are many accounts of houses having no chimney only a hole in the roof for the smoke to go out. Those that had chimneys, the front of them were made with mortar and stone and also of clay and wattles. There are also accounts of houses having no glass for their windows. In the daytime they left the window open but(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Máiréad Ní Giolla Phádraig
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 12
- Address
- Rinn, Co. Mayo
- Informant
- Patrick Fitzpatrick
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 61
- Occupation
- Farmer
- Address
- Rinn, Co. Mayo