School: Behey (roll number 8222)
- Location:
- Behy, Co. Donegal
- Teacher: Meadhbh, Bean Uí Dhochartaigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1029, Page 55
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- The houses in Behey in former times were very poor and small. The usual room and kitchen type, thatched roof very small windows and one door but always including the half door. In those days where ventilation did not form part of their education the half door was undoubtedly the salvation of the people. The people however, used it for letting in “the light” and for keeping out the hens and the busy mother found it useful for keeping in the “creeping baby” In former times the baby was given the floor for the old people believed that a child should creep before it walked. The floors were of clay and later of flags. No ceiling but the black sooty rafters with a “couple” right across. An old saying when something unusual used to happen was “We’ll put a niche in the couple” In every farm house how the “couple” is concealed by ceiling boards. so that this old saying has died out. The walls were white washed the fire on the hearth and in the back[?] stone several holes were left- one was for the old man’s pipe and the other was for the “smoothing iron”(continues on next page)
