School: Cill Fhearga (roll number 15128)

On this page

1. Old Houses (continued)

   

   Share Share Post

   (continued from previous page)

   stones were used.
   Long ago all the houses in this district were built with mud. In plenty of houses the cows were tied in the farthest end from the fire. Long ago there were no such thing as boards in the poor people's houses, or cement either. The people carried back loads of clay to the houses for to make the floors and they cut scraws and wattles for to put on the top of the house under the straw or rushes.

   Long ago there were no glass windows. In the good weather the window space was left open and in the bad weather there was a bag of hay kept in it. Some of the chimneys were made from mortar and stones while other chimneys were made from wattles and clay. No people ever had the fire on the centre of the floor.

   Half doors were common in the district in former times. People wrought rods into flakes for inside doors. The flake was like the side of a creel. There were mats made from straw for putting to the back of the doors for to keep out the storm. They had no parafin oil or lamps only candles made from rushes and the rushes were pulled and peeled and a little of the skin left. Then they are properly dried. Greace was boiled in a candle pan and the rushes run through the greace. The used to make

   (continues on next page)

   

   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