School: Forgney, Ballymahon (roll number 860)
- Location:
- Forgney, Co. Longford
- Teacher: Mrs B. Higgins
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0750, Page 440
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- XML School: Forgney, Ballymahon
- XML Page 440
- XML “Sculling Cattle”
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- The farmers in this district dishorn their own cattle themselves. They call this "sculling". Cattle are sculled for the following reasons.
1. To prevent their hurting each other.
2. They look better, and are said to thrive better without horns.
3. Cattle exported from this country to Scotland are fattened in yards, and small enclosures, and they would be liable to injure each other if they had horns.
There are generally a few people in a neighbourhood who can scull better than others, and they are in great demand in the months of March, April, September or October.
As these months are neither hot nor cold, they are most suitable for the work.
The cattle to be sculled are put into a house or pen and one selected. A man catches his nostrils with a "noose" - a sort of iron pincers, and leads him out into a field. He is held by this noose while he is being bound by ropes. It usually takes three or four men to bind him. His front legs are first tied(continues on next page)
- Collector
- John Finn
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 13
