School: Cill Fhearga (roll number 15128)
- Location:
- Killarga, Co. Leitrim
- Teacher: Mícheál Ó Gallchobhair
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- XML School: Cill Fhearga
- XML Page 382
- XML “Old Houses”
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- The houses in olden times differed very much from the dwellings the people live in now. They were mostly constructed of mud and rushes and when this mixture set and hardened it was (always) almost as solid as cement. They were always thatched with rushes or sometimes in the case of well to do people straw was used.
There was an outshot left in the house in the course of construction and this was used for a bed it was called a Walco and was often used as a sleeping place for a whole family.
The window consisted of one pane of glass which could neither open or close as it was set in the wall when being built. As a rule the kitchen was very long as it had to accomadate the cow or two which was the modest posession of those struggling tenantry.
The light used in these houses was the old rush candles. These were made by peeling rushes and soaking them in fat then allowing them to stiffen.
Every house had its own candlepan and supplied the light for its own inhabitants. Notwithstanding their primitive(continues on next page)- Collector
- Eileen O' Rourke
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Gortnacorkoge, Co. Leitrim
- Informant
- Joseph Boles
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 40
- Address
- Gortnacorkoge, Co. Leitrim