School: Killymarley (roll number 15398)
- Location:
- Killymarly, Co. Monaghan
- Teacher: Bean Uí Chléirigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0957, Page 241
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- Up to about eighty years ago in this district flax was scutched by the women in their homes. The flax was pulled and steeped for about fourteen days ; taken out and dried on the grass. When perfectly dry it was lifted, stooked and put in ricks.At most houses there was a flax kiln. It was a small mud house about six feet high and where a suitable ditch was available it was built against it and the ditch formed one of the walls. The roof consisted of rough pieces of wood placed some distance apart. In the centre of the floor there was a huge turf fire. The flax was placed on the roof, and kept turned until it was dry. The kiln-man did nothing else but attend the fire and dry the flax.When perfectly dry it was beetled, put on stocks and scutched with a scutching handle. It was weighed in stones, put into bales and sold to the linen factories.For years past no flax has been grown around here, but where it is grown it is(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Rene Mc Elnea
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Killymarly, Co. Monaghan
