School: Gaduidhe Dubh (C.)

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1. The Houses of Long Ago

   

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   The houses of long ago were very small and badly constructed in comparison with the houses of nowadays. Most of the houses were thatched and the ones that were slated were slated with stones out of the local quarries. These stones were flat light stones and were levelled off by the masons. Of the thatched houses there were various kinds, most of the poor houses were thatched with long heather; others were thatched with straw rushes, wheaten straw, barley straw and lint. Lint was considered the best straw as it was strong and it would take a long time for it to wear and decay. Some of the houses were sown. Any kind of straw could be used and then brambles were put up and down through the thatch like sewing.

   Usually there would be only one room and kitchen in every house and it was very seldom they had two rooms. They called the rooms the upper room if above the kitchen and the lower room if below the kitchen. Often they would have a loft above the kitchen for holding anything they wished. In very few houses there was an upstairs and if there was one the stairs were made of stones.The stones were built in the shape of a stairs.

   In every kitchen there was a bed called a kitchen bed and it was boxed in and curtains hung over it. If anyone was sick they would be put into this bead as it

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. objects
      1. man-made structures
         1. buildings
            1. residential buildings (~2,723)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   May Doherty

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Cloghfin, Co. Donegal