School: Trentagh (roll number 16331)
- Location:
- Treantagh, Co. Donegal
- Teacher: M. Nic Pheadair
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1084, Page 030
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- XML School: Trentagh
- XML Page 030
- XML “Thatching”
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- 30
Thatching
When a man has to thatch his house he makes preparations first. First of all he cuts briars, cleans them, and leaves them someplace till they are dry and tough. These are called scobes. Then he gets flax and leaves it where he can get at it easily. He gets a ladder next and leans it up against the roof of the house. Then he takes some flax and some scobes and goes up on the ladder and begins to thatch. He begins at the bottom of the roof. He puts on a handful of flax and fastens it with a scobe. He pushes the two ends of the scobe into the thatch. He does this to keep the wind from blowing the flax away. He puts on one handful after another till he has one piece done. He fastens each handful as he puts it on. He changes the ladder over a piece and thatches another piece and so on till he has the roof thatched. Then he cleans off the loose flax that is lying on the roof. He puts a row of scobes along the bottom of the roof to keep the thatch firm. He bends down the flax that is standing up at the top, one side over the other, and fastens it with a row of scobes one each side, running parallel with the rigging.Joseph Kennedy, Trainbeg, Trentagh, Lifford, Co. Donegal(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Joseph Kennedy
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Treanbeg, Co. Donegal
- Informant
- Mr David Kennedy
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 54
- Address
- Treanbeg, Co. Donegal
