School: Druim Bréan Lios (roll number 15029)
- Location:
- Drumbreanlis, Co. Leitrim
- Teacher: Eibhlín Nic Ghuidhir
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0228, Page 099
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- XML School: Druim Bréan Lios
- XML Page 099
- XML “Funerals and Wakes in this Part of the Country 70 Years Ago”
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- When a person died 70 years ago, the first thing done was send for the sheets to a particular house. These sheets were woven in the locality by a weaver named Micky Fitzpatrick. Most of the farmers wives got sheets woven by him but this woman happened to be careful and had half a dozen fine sheets left aside. The neighbours for a couple of miles around knew this and used to send for the loan of them to put around the bed in which a corpse was laid out. The beds then were covered beds called "testerbeds" with a boarded cover over head and curtains hanging down in front. When a corpse was being laid out the sheets were put to cover the two ends of the bed and top and sometimes leaves of laurel pinned here and there on them in the shape of a cross. After the funeral the sheets were washed and ironed and sent back to the owner to be kept safely until another death occurred.
The next thing done was send for the(continues on next page)
- Informant
- James Kiernan
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Drumbreanlis, Co. Leitrim
