School: Clochar na Trócaire, Baile Mathúna (roll number 3865)

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1. Old Crafts (continued)

   

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   attends, and he brings up the straw to the thatcher. This man starts his work by placing a certain amount of straw on the house. Then he puts one rod at a time through the straw, then some thatching twine also through the straw with a special needle made for the purpose. He continues all this until the house is thatched. When all this is done the thatcher cuts all the straw at the eave of the house, even then he repairs the chimney if wanted, and puts cement on barges. Some men spray the straw with bluestone to keep away birds and vermin. The tools used at this work are a rake, small knife, small fork, and a
   Beesoms or Brooms.
   Those are made by going to the bog, and plucking some heather and bringing it home, and taking a certain amount and cutting off the ends a certain length, and making all the pieces even. Then they tie them with strong twine. Some people put handles through the heather. Brooms were also made long ago from boxwood in the same way.

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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

   Kitty Flynn

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   13

   Address

   Ballymahon, Co. Longford

   Informant

   Mr J. J. Flynn

   Relation

   Parent

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Ballymahon, Co. Longford