School: Liath-Mhuine

On this page

1. Buying and Selling (continued)

   

   Share Share Post

   (continued from previous page)

   auger and it was used for testing the butter. He was enabled to do this by putting the auger right down to the bottom of the butter and a sample of it came up on the auger.

   In olden times shops were not as numerous as they are now-a-days. People generally went to the nearest town to make purchases. They sometimes got goods without paying ready money for them and this was called "tick". They also exchanged cattle or potatoes for goods. It was quite common to give labour to merchands in order to obtain goods.

   At that time the majority of the fairs were held in Sligo and the people from this district had to leave the night before in order to have their cattle there in time in the morning.

   People often made bargains with different animals such as a horse and a cow. The person with the cow would give money as "loot" to the man who owned the horse.

   When the bargain is made they give "luck". Luck is money given to the man who buys the animal and this is done to send luck with them. If you sold a sheep you would amount about five shillings. It generally depends on the vallue of the animal and the highed - luck given amount to about ten shillings. In selling an animal the old people would not give the halter because it is said that by doing this, they would give away their luck.

   Pedlars were very common in those days

   (continues on next page)

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. trade
            1. buying and selling (~3,622)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Linda Gibson

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Rathlee, Co. Sligo