School: Balscadden (roll number 9492)
- Location:
- Balscaddan, Co. Dublin
- Teachers: P. Ó Séaghdha Francis Shaw
![The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0783, Page 152](https://doras.gaois.ie/cbes/CBES_0783%2FCBES_0783_152.jpg?width=1600&quality=85)
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0783, Page 152
Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.
See copyright details.
DownloadOpen data
Available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
- XML School: Balscadden
- XML Page 152
- XML “Road Making”
Note: We will soon deprecate our XML Application Programming Interface and a new, comprehensive JSON API will be made available. Keep an eye on our website for further details.
On this page
- With the exception of the old Coach Road, all the bye roads and "boreens" were made during the Famine period. This was relief work and no money was paid out to the workers. The men worked from early morning to dark night and then walked about three miles for their pay. This pay was oaten meal to make porridge. There was practically no other food for the people then. It was common for a boy to work for a farmer for half-a-crown a quarter (three months). He was glad to work for food and clothes. The cross roads are a great land mark in a country place. All local gathering take place there, and on warm days (Sundays) the men sit on the grass patch in the centre, and play cards. Here the cross road's dance took place every Sunday evening in Summer and on Patron Day, 15th August, hundreds assembled from other parishes, to dance. The of pitch and toss was also played at our Crossroads, but now the new local hall is used for all these sports.
- Collector
- Eileen Finn
- Gender
- Female
- Informant
- Mr Lynch
- Gender
- Male