School: Glascorn (roll number 16615)
- Location:
- Glascarn, Co. Westmeath
- Teacher: Mrs Hope
Open data
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- XML School: Glascorn
- XML Page 258
- XML “How a Flail is Made”
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On this page
- In olden times all the corn was threshed with a flail before threshing mills came into use. The flail is still used in some places especially if there is only a small quantity of corn to be threshed. The flails are made locally.The flail is made up of the "hand-staff" the "buailcín" the "hacáns" and the "middle-band." The "hand-'staff" is as thick as a walking stick and it is about four feet long. The "buailcín" is a little thicker and about three and a half feet in length. The "hacáns" are made from sallow rods and they are seasoned well and rounded. One of these rods is joined in the form of a loop with tacks and wax-end to one end of the "hand-staff" and the other is joined in the same way to one end of the "buailcín." An eel-skin is now passed through(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Philomena Whelan
- Gender
- Female