School: Coill Mhór (roll number 16780)
- Location:
- Cuilmore, Co. Mayo
- Teacher: Liam Ua Claidhimh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0123, Page 68
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- XML “Matchmaking”
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- In the times gone by most marriages were made by matchmakers. These matchmakers brought together in marriage two that never knew each other before that. They say it was the luckiest marriage of all. In every parish there were three or four men, who were great hands at matchmaking. When a man wanted a particular woman he sent one or two of those men to the girls house, he did (never) not send them without a bottle or two of whiskey. If they thought that the girl was satisfied to marry the man they made all the arrangements with her father about the fortune he was willing to give. The knew what the man was looking for and they always asked something above it. Of course the fortunes at that time usen't be very big. Maybe £40 and a cow and often a bit less. The girl usen't often be satisfied but she had to do what her parents wanted nearly always but after that these marriages were always happy ones happier than the marriages they have today. The fortune used to be paid in two ''gales'' one when the girl was going into the place and the other nearly always after the birth of the first(continues on next page)
- Informant
- Mrs Reddington
- Relation
- Unknown
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 59
- Address
- Cuillaun, Co. Mayo
