School: Cromadh (B.)

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1. Local Traditions - Historical and Otherwise (continued)

   

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   the sights of a lifetime to see Shkule of a dark night. It was one mass of lights; every little window used have a little candle in it and the lights all one above another from Shkule bog to Shkule hill. They had stones for seats and the boys and girls used to wear the same sort of clothes, made of bags (canvas) till they were sixteen or seventeen years of age. They did not know the population of Shkules no more than they did that of China. 'Twas they (the people of S.) that filled the churches (grave-yards) of Rochestown and Rockstown (I believe it is spelled Roxtown). They say that once at an election, every man in Shkule who had a vote was herded and marched (that is driven) to Bruff or wherever the election was, to vote for Croker or Croker's man, I forget which. The half of them had no clothes but an old canvas bag across them (that is a loin-cloth as I understood it). Half of them (the Shkule people) were Crokers. (= The Croker arms were quartered with a baton sinister on the Shkule escutcheon). It was nothing unusual to see nearly four hundred Shkule people, men and women, waiting to be hired at the Cross (of Shkule). They'd be taken to east, west, north an south on the farmer's carts to the reaping or the digging, to the picking and the tilling. They were terrible "four year olds". (All from Wm. O Connell Cuid I) and corroborated in parts by Joe Costelloe Cuid I and by Miss Finnerty N. T. Croom, whose father, a gardiner, often visited BallinagarX gardens. He died six years ago at the age of 93)

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Daithí Ó Ceanntabhail

   Gender

   Male

   Occupation

   Múinteoir

   Informant

   Dick Butler

   Gender

   Male

   Informant

   Edward O Connell

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Carrigeen, Co. Limerick

   Informant

   Joe Costelloe

   Gender

   Male

   Informant

   Miss Finnerty

   Gender

   Female

   Occupation

   National múinteoir

   Address

   Croom, Co. Limerick

   Informant

   Miss Guare

   Gender

   Female

   Informant

   Mrs Hederman

   Gender

   Female

   Informant

   Pat Allen

   Gender

   Male

   Informant

   William O Connell

   Gender

   Male