School: Baurnafea, Paulstown (roll number 807)
- Location:
- Barr na Féithe, Co. Chill Chainnigh
- Teacher: Sean Moffat
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0861, Page 323
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- XML School: Baurnafea, Paulstown
- XML Page 323
- XML “Saol na nDaoine i Lár an 19ú hAois - Food”
- XML “Saol na nDaoine i Lár an 19ú hAois - Ploughing”
- XML “Saol na nDaoine i Lár an 19ú hAois - Haycutting”
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- (continued from previous page)stirabout (made from Indian corn) and buttermilk were the only foods used by them. Men working in the flag quarries never eat anything else yet they were remarkable for their spendidly developed bodies and perfect teeth.
- Almost all farm implements were locally made. The smith and the carpenter were the two busiest men of the community continually making and repairing spades, forks, ploughs, carts and the inumerable appurtinences of the farmer Ploughs in the 40's & 50's were wooden and were remembered for their extreme clumsiness. Farmers often preferred, and indeed found it practicable to do their tilling with the spade. Corn was often sown in this way. After the wooden plough came the iron plough, but of course not wheeled.
- Haycutting was done with the scythe. James Staunton was a middle aged man when the first haycutting machine came to Ballygurteen. He well remembered the excitement it caused and the crowds of "hill" farmers who came to examine this new wonder. The Corn Crop was reaped with the hook, and hard, wearying back breaking work it was counted. The reapers worked from dawn almost till dark. After the reaper came the women binders. Slow & labourious as this work was there was no lack of help. Hundreds of reapers gathered at the "hiring fair" in(continues on next page)
