School: Gortnaskeagh (roll number 16321)

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1. Travelling Folk (continued)

   

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   same place. When they have their tins sold they go to some other place.
   The pedlars make their living by selling combs, hair-pins, rings, brushes, laces, ear-rings and a lot of other things through the country. They usually get all these articles sold and the people give a good price for them.
   The pedlars make their living by going round from house to house begging. Some of them are very cross and bold. When they come in to the house they look all around them to see what would they ask for. Some of them are very impudent. Nearly every body gives them a small alms. Some of them ask for bread and butter, eggs, flour, milk, potatoes, and a lot of other things.
   The tinkers travel in families and those we know best are the Malloneys, the Dohertys, the Cullens, the Boyles and the Calderbanks. My father recognises the same faces of the tinkers coming for the past thirty years. Some of the tinkers give news to the people who buy off them. They tell them about fairs in other counties and about the prices of goods and cattle.
   The tinkers, tin smiths and pedlars have different ways of travelling. The richest of them have nice caravans made of boards painted different colours with a felt roof and one window. These

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. agents (~1)
      1. people by social grouping
         1. travellers (~3,023)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Agnes Loughlin

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Gortnaskeagh, Co. Leitrim

   Informant

   John Molloy

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Gortnaskeagh, Co. Leitrim