School: Coolavin (roll number 10422)
- Location:
- Monasterredan, Co. Sligo
- Teacher: Mícheál Ó Braonáin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0188, Page 226
Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.
See copyright details.
DownloadOpen data
Available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
- XML School: Coolavin
- XML Page 226
- XML “Homemade Toys”
Note: We will soon deprecate our XML Application Programming Interface and a new, comprehensive JSON API will be made available. Keep an eye on our website for further details.
On this page
- Before the machine made toys which
now-a-days flood the markets of this country the Irish youngsters were quite adopt at making all the boys they required for their needs either to meet any requirements or for sport.
Thus in winter time when snow and frost prevailed to catch the wily blackbird or thrush a conical shaped traps, which was called a cradle bird, was made of rods.
Attached to the bottom of this trap a pliable rod was fixed in circular fashion. One end of a forked stich was rested on this circular spring the other end held up the cradle-bird. Some food was scattered inside the spring in such a way that to fee, the birds generally happened on the spring. As soon as thi happened the forked stich was released and the cradle-bird dropped down securely, trapping them without injury.
Spinning tops were made from wood. When the wood was shaped to taste, a nail or strong piece of wire was inserted in the narrow end. To spin this top a cord was wound tightly around it. The end of the cord was then held firmly in the hand, while the top was directed and cast.(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Maura Cryan
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Clogher, Co. Sligo
- Informant
- William Cryan
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 46
- Address
- Clogher, Co. Sligo
