School: Shivdillagh (roll number 6774)
- Location:
- Shivdelagh, Co. Leitrim
- Teacher: Thomas Byrne
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0204, Page 215
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- XML “A Poor Woman”
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- There was once an old woman named Beesey Burns and she was a native of Sligo town. She used to make heather besims for sweeping round the fire-side and she used to also make scrubs for cleaning churns. Then she used to go round the country selling them. She would not ask money for the scrubs or besims but if they would give her flour of potatoes or milk she would do with it. She used to tie the scrubs and besims in a rope and carry them on her back. When she would be rid of them all she would go to a bog and pull more heather to make more besims and scrubs. She would go to a county house and make them in it. When the people would give her something she would go down on her knees and pray for the people of the house and all that were dead belonging to them. The people of the house would ask her to stay for the night and they would make a shake down for her in the corner of the kitchen and she would put her shawls round her. The next morning when she would be leaving she would give the people a besim or a scrubb for keeping her for the night.
