School: Coillte Mághach (roll number 12520)

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1. The Care of the Feet (continued)

   

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   their backs they felt the hard, heavy, all [?] shoes an incumbrance. In this district nowadays children wear shoes or sandals from a very early age though most country children prefer to go barefooted in summer.
   Very seldom did country women wear boots or shoes in the home forty or more years ago. It was only when they went away from home to the town to a fair to mass or to a merrymaking that they wore them.
   They got one pair made by the local shoemaker which were so strong and heavy that it was difficult for tender feet to carry them especially in those days when distances were long and often heavy baskets to be carried. That one pair often lasted them nearly a lifetime. Then of course the leather had a better chance for instead of polish it was heated to grease which kept it supple and water-proof. The most esteemed dressing for boots was goose fat or lard which was known as goose grease but butter or bacon-fat served on occasions.

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. objects
      1. clothing and accessories (~2,403)
         1. shoes (~1,841)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Máirtín Ó Cearbhaill

   Gender

   Male

   Occupation

   Múinteoir