School: Cill Fhearga (roll number 15128)

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1. Old Houses

   

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   The old houses were thatched with straw and rushes long ago. In the most of them there was a bed in the kitchen, but a great number of the poor people used to sleep in the out houses. It was placed along the side wall. Some people used to call it a bunk and others used to call it a pooch.
   The fire place was made at the gable wall in nearly all the houses. It is supposed that the fire place was never placed in the corner or against the side wall. In some houses the front of the chimney was made of clay and wattles, while others were made of mortar and stones.
   The thatch for houses at all times was either straw or rushes. The thatch was fastened on to the house with scollips that is pointed rods. Slates in those times came in to us from other countries. The old people had a bed in the kitchen called a pouch. It was placed in the corner near the fire. The fire place was always placed at the gable wall of the house. It was never in the corner or against the side wall.
   In Thomas Devanney's house of Gortnacarcogue there was no chimney at all. The fire used to be put up to the gable and the smoke used to go out in a hole in the roof of the house. This house was built with mud and very little

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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

   John O' Rourke

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Darkvalley, Co. Leitrim

   Informant

   Mrs Slavin

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   54

   Address

   Gortnacorkoge, Co. Leitrim