School: Gallen

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1. Old Crafts - Brickmaking (continued)

   

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   18e .
   that the moulder may not be idle.
   Two boys act as offbearers and the moulder uses three moulds. The bricks are laid out side by side with spaces between them. They are put down in sections of a thousand (they are counted) as it is by the (a) thousand they are counted. When the fresh bricks are laid down, a girl called a "duster" shakes dry bag-mould over them. This prevents them
   from cracking when the rain falls. They are left to dry then in the sun for two or three days if the weather is fine, but they are left over for a week if the weather is showery.
   After that they are pared usually by girls or women, that is the ragged edges are trimmed off with a knife or a piece of sharp hoop iron. As each brick is pared it is turned up on its edge on the ground, so that the other side may dry. About two days after that the bricks are hooked by girls or women. Hooking means that the bricks are built up in stacks, in somewhat the same way as turf is put in "footings". The

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Kitty Dolan

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Noggusboy, Co. Offaly

   Informant

   Mr Patrick Dolan

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Noggusboy, Co. Offaly