School: Dhuish
- Location:
- Dooish, Co. Cavan
- Teacher: P. Ó Murchadha
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1013, Page 248
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- (continued from previous page)Hand mils for grinding corn on cloch rothain as they were called in Irish were prevalent in the area sixty or seventy years ago. These mills consisted of two large stone wheels revolving one against the other, turned with a handle. It was usual when the first few stools of the harvest was cut to have meal from this first cutting that night, all operations from cutting to boiling the meal taking place within a few hours.
Beetling mills for land scutched flax were in use about sixty years ago. One in a locality was loaned about for a shilling a day. This would have the effect of breaking the husk of the flax between corrugated rollers. It was an improvement on the older and more tedious custom of beetling the flax with a bat staff on the flaxstones. The flax would have to be previously dried over a fire which was highly dangerous and caused many configurations. Neighbours used to cooperate at the scutching in each others houses. When the work would finish they would hold a scutching dance.
Runaway marriages were a common feature of rural life up to about 30 years ago. Girls having a good fortune, a farm or property of a good livelihood were taken away - willingly of course - parents perhaps unwilling to consent to union otherwise. The eloping pair would(continues on next page)
