School: Ballyhahill (C.) (roll number 10686)

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1. Old Crafts (continued)

   

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   tongs and other useful iron instruments were made from the home or farm. They also made their own quilts at home. These they knitted into squares and sewed together.

   From the wool of their own sheep they supplied their own family with woollen clothes. They used spinning wheels for the purpose.

   They also made their own barrels, or firkins(?) for butter, themselves, and they did their own thatching. Nearly all the houses long ago were thatched. The thatch made them very cool in summer, and very warm in winter. Wheel-making is still carried on by local carpenters. The burning of lime was carried on very largely some years ago, but this industry has now fallen to a very low level. Lime mixed with farmyard manure and spread over the fields, is a wonderful tonic for the land.

   The skins of hares and rabbits were tanned long ago, and this is how it was done. The animal was first killed and then skinned carefully. The skin was nailed tightly on the back of a door in an outhouse. Then a couple of pence worth of alum wsa bought. This was put into a bowl of hot water to melt, and was painted on to the skin with a paint brush, and left this way for a few days. This was done in a similar form three or four times, and after a short period was ready for use. Suitable strips were cut from the skin and put on the collars and cuffs of ladies' coats.

   Fishing iwth a rod and line is still carried on in the "Ata Dan" river which runs at the eastern end of the

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. trades and crafts (~4,680)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Annetta Dalton

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Cloonlahard East, Co. Limerick

   Informant

   Mrs James Dalton

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   81

   Address

   Cloonlahard East, Co. Limerick