School: Cluain Eich (roll number 9942)

Location:: Clooneagh, Co. Leitrim
Teacher:

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0219, Page 191

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Crafts - The Flax Crop (continued)

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(continued from previous page)
had to be ploughed, dug and harrowed properly. The seed was then put into the land which was scharrowed. Twasn't necessary to do anything more with it until the weeds grew. When the harvest came the flax was ripe and fit for pulling. Many people invited their neighbours, boys and girls, men and women for a hard days work of pulilng. They used to go about in that manner from house to house. When the flax was all pulled they tied it in sheaves and brought it to the deepest upland drains or bog holes and dumped the sheaves into them. It was left there for a few days until it rotted. After being thrown in the drain or bog hole it was covered with sods to keep it down. When it was rotten it was lifted out of the drain and spread out in a field until it was properly dried. Then it was tied up in large sheaves and brought into the garden. There it was stacked and left until it was ready to be scutched.
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Crafts - The Scutching

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First of all there would have to be some kind of an old "shanty" fixed up in the garden in which the fire would be placed to dry the flax. Then there was what was called a hurdle made of strong rods, and the hurdle was placed a certain distance over the fire, and all the sheaves it was able to hold were placed on it to dry.
While this process was going on there was men inside in the house waiting with

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