School: Mullingar (Pres. Convent) (roll number 934)
- Location:
- Mullingar, Co. Westmeath
- Teacher: Sr. Brigid
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- XML School: Mullingar (Pres. Convent)
- XML Page 019
- XML “How Flax was Grown”
- XML “Spinning”
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- (continued from previous page)The "shoaves" of flax were hung on the standard and scutched by means of a scutch-handle - which consisted of a wide thin board with a stout wooden handle. By scutching was meant - beating - until fibres were loose and soft, and until all the shoaves were knocked out. This done, it was again bagged and sent to the hackler. The hackler had three large bunches of needles - the first very strong, the second somewhat finer, and the third fine. He struck the fibres first against the coarse needle - this was called the first hackling, and the "shoaves" which fell from it were very strong. Fibres were again struck against the second and third sets of needles, and shoaves from third hackling were very fine - and were called "tow". This was usually spun into coarse threads which was made into sacks. The finest of the tow was often kept and laid aside - as it was used by Priest to remove the Holy oils after anointing. The flax was the considered ready for spinning.
- Flax was spun on a small wheel called "a jinny". As the thread had to be spun(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Cora Donnelly
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Mullingar, Co. Westmeath
- Informant
- Miss Sheerin
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 74
- Address
- Castletown Geoghegan, Co. Westmeath