School: Dún Gar (Frenchpark) (roll number 3961)
- Location:
- Frenchpark, Co. Roscommon
- Teacher: Tomás Mac Mághnuis
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0243, Page 359
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- (continued from previous page)had to give 10 days duty work every year. They had to leave their littlehomes in Bella and tramp the seven Irish miles to the palace at Elphin, making sure to arrive before the seven o'clock bell. Each man had his scythe on his shoulder. The lord was not even expected to feed him. No wage was paid. It was dirty work, part of his rent. And he had to work. A report from the steward that there was malingering or idling might result in the eviction of the man and his family from their little homes. Though the lord was not bound to feed his slaves, he in the goodness of his heart did provide an enormous boiler of Indian stirabout, a churn of buttermilk,
and some vessels. For many years this sufficed till Mick Daire worked the Oliver Twist stunt. He actually had the temerity to knock at the hall door. He went so far as to ask to see Madam O'Connor. She came. She inquired in a beautiful Oxford accent what he wanted. He told her he wanted his breakfast. Her emotion on hearing such a strange request was such that she almost
fainted. Was not the porridge - mar dheadh - sufficiently strong,
sufficiently cooked, sufficient in quantity. "It was", said Mick, but no
man could mow a rood a day on a bellyful of Indian buck. On its being
made plain that the work was likely to suffer, she gave instructions
that oatmeal and new milk should be used instead.(continues on next page)
