School: Cluain Meacan (roll number 11451)
- Location:
- Cloonmackon, Co. Kerry
- Teacher: Liam Ó Catháin
![The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0407, Page 086](https://doras.gaois.ie/cbes/CBES_0407%2FCBES_0407_086.jpg?width=1600&quality=85)
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0407, Page 086
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- In olden times houses were built entirely different from the present new houses. The walls were built with mud. The mud used to be dug up and drawn to where the house was to be built and left there for some time. It would then be wet with water and turned several times to make it tough. The mud used then be put on the walls with a four-pronged pike and oner man would be upon the walls packing them and putting rushes through the mud to prevent them from scaling. When the walls were built they were pared with a spade and left to dry before roofing. The roof consisted of bog-deal raftersand skin of bog and thatch of rushes.
The chimney was made of timber and the chimney breast of straw ropes called sugáns which were plastered with mud both inside and outside so as to prevent them from taking fire. The floor was also made of mud and around the fire was a square pavement of stone called the hearth. The windows were very small and the houses were very dark inside.