School: Tiobraid (roll number 9996)
- Location:
- Tubrid More, Co. Kerry
- Teacher: Tadhg Ó Ciarmhaich
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0414, Page 113
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- XML “Old Houses”
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- The old houses used be built of mud. The surface used be dug out of a plot of land nearby and drawn away. Then the mud would be carefully dug up. Any roots or stones would be picked out of it. Then it would be wet with water. All the family would then trample it barefooted. When the father would say it was right it would be drawn away. Then it would be put along the ground a foot high. After a good packing rushes would be put on top of it. Then the sides of it would be cut to make the work look nice. Then another layer would be put on top of that and so on until the house would be built. Then a door and window used be put in each room. The timber for the roof used be cut in a wood nearby. Then they used go to the bog and cut big scraws. The scraws used be put on and the house used be thatched.
The bed used be always put in the corner of the kitchen. It used be called a settle bed. Long ago there was a law that in every house there should be only one fire and one pane of glass in every window. The floors long ago were made of mud. The fires used be made of a bart of brasna. They used get light at night time from bogdeal and splinters. Long ago candles used be made by the old people. They would get three or four pieces of silken thread. Then they would soak them in tallow and make candles of it.
