School: Drumatemple (B.) (roll number 7496)

On this page

1. Hedge-Schools (continued)

   

   Share Share Post

   (continued from previous page)

   kitchen. At night the kitchen was occupied by his cow. The first pupils to arrive in the morning let out the cow, carted out the straw and manure, brushed out the floor and shook dry straw round where it was wet.
   Then they brought in sticks stones and sods of turf as seats. Johnny sat by the fire all day and taught the children in turns. There were no blackboards, rollbooks or class teaching. Sometimes a neighbour strolled in to light his pipe and sat by the fire. He often expressed opinions about the children as to which of their relations they resembled in appearance.
   Judy Keogh got up about 11 a.m. She was one of the first to introduce tea into the district.
   Each week she got seven half ounce papers of tea. When she got up she boiled a tin saucepanful of water and added one of her 1/2 oz. packets of tea to it. She added milk and drank it. If she had a favourite child amongst the crowd, she added water to the tea leaves and gave a second brew of it to this child which was considered as a great favour.

   (continues on next page)

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. objects
      1. man-made structures
         1. buildings
            1. schools (~4,094)

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Mrs Brigid Quinn

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   82

   Address

   Bracklagh, Co. Galway