School: Cornagon (roll number 15690)
- Location:
- Cornagon, Co. Leitrim
- Teacher: Frank Heeran
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0212, Page 077
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- XML School: Cornagon
- XML Page 077
- XML “Lime-Kilns”
- XML “Dyeing”
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On this page
- (continued from previous page)put into about two cups of water.
- In the olden times people bought no dye in the shops but they dyed all the wool at home from onion-skins, whin blossoms, briar tops, cabbage leaves, soot, crottle and nettles. My grandmother saw all those used. They are not used nowadays. This is the way she saw them used. When dyeing with onion skins the first thing that was done was to boil the onion skins in clean water. This was left boiling till the water took a yellow colour. Before the wool was put into this it was boiled in potash and water so that it would take a good dye. Then the onion-skins were taken off the water and the wool was put into this water and it was let boil till the wool took a good yellow dye. Then it was taken out and washed and dried and afterwards spun. This is the way the people long ago dyed with whin blossoms. First the whin blossoms were boiled in clean water. Then all the juice was strained off and the wool was put into this. When it had taken a yellow colour is was taken out and washed and dried and afterwards spun into socks, or cardigans. This is (how) the way the people long ago dyed with briar tops.(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Madge Rourke
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Corrabarrack, Co. Leitrim
