School: Craoibh Liath (roll number 15639)
- Location:
- Creevelea, Co. Leitrim
- Teacher: Mrs Doyle
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0202, Page 240
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- Long ago people kept more sheep than they do at present.
The farmers sheared the sheep in the end of summer and the women and girls oiled it with rape oil and teased it. They had two cards nearly like hair brushes for carding it and they put a small portion of wool on one card and carded it with the other until there were no knots left in it. It was carded off or shaped into soft rolls. They carded as much as they would spin that night. They took one roll at a time, put it on the spinning wheel and spun it into yarn or thread.
The people did not buy dye then either as we do now.
The dyes were made of mud and black oak out of the bottom of the bog-holes, moss, heather, leaves of elder and laurel. Each of these when boiled produced a different colour. They dyed the thread any colour they wished then, by dipping it in the mixture while still boiling.
The people of this locality brought the thread up to the weaver in Gowlaun and(continues on next page)
- Informant
- Mrs Mac Morrow
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 55
- Occupation
- Farmer's wife
- Address
- Leonagh, Co. Leitrim
