School: St. Cronan's Longford Wood, An Teampoll Mór (roll number 6662)

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1. Old Crafts (continued)

   

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   any that the threshing machines so break up the wheaten straw that it is of no use. Before straw is ever used for thatching it has to be £pulled". A man stands beside a rick of straw catches a handful and pulls it from the rick he shakes this thoroughly so as to knock out any short straw that may be in it; he holds the long straws which remain in his left hand pulls a second handful with his right, shakes again and places what remains with what is already in his left hand; he carries on this till he has a good handful of long straw in his left hand. He now lays this carefully on the ground away from every-thing - goes back to the rick and does the same again and again till he has sufficient long straw selected. It often takes a man two or even three days to pull enough straw to thatch a house. The "scallops" used to hold down the straw on the house are generally hazel rods which are got locally at Longfordwood. Now-a-days when the thatching of a house is finished the fresh thatch is sprayed over with bluestone; this helps to preserve the straw and to give it a nice colour

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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

   Mai Mullally

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Longfordwood, Co. Tipperary

   Collector

   Maud Treacy

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Longfordwood, Co. Tipperary

   Informant

   Martin Sheedy

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Oldcastle, Co. Tipperary