School: Barradubh (Sixmilebridge)

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1. Old Trades - Splinters (continued)

   

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   The splinters were lighted easily from the fire and were quenched by sticking the lighted part into the ashes. When a light was required for visiting any of the rooms or for purposes requiring only a minute's time or so individual splinters were used but when a man wanted to go to the cow-house or to travel some distance from home he took a handful of splinters and if the wind quenched the light they were shaken quickly and immediately blazed up again.
   When it was desired to have a light for a considerable time in the kitchen a bundle of splinters was lighted and the other end was inserted in a hole in the wall and at any time required if the bundle was shaken or even blown with the mouth while the ends of the splinters were still red they blazed up.
   In the winter time salmon travel up the rivers to spawn at the fords. During their stay in the rivers when the water is low many people used to "poach" them at night and the fathers of the present generation used splinters as torches to show them the spawning fish which they

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Dómhnall Ua Donnchadha

   Gender

   Male

   Occupation

   Múinteoir