School: Leamh-choill
- Location:
- Drumsillagh, Co. Ros Comáin
- Teacher: Cáit Ní Ghadhra
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0232, Page 070
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- (continued from previous page)The sow and her ten or fourteen little bonhams were less welcome visitors to the kitchen and were seldom kept longer than a week.
When 'times' improved and 'help' was got from America, the people started to 'furnish' their homes again. The men bought boards in the towns and made 'deal' tables and chairs. They also made wicker arm chairs out of rods and the women crocheted antimacassars and cushion covers so an old time parlour looked quite pretty. Hearth rugs were also made from rags.
Flax was a common crop in those days. The only objection the people had to it was the dreadful odour which it gave off when being saved.
The tops of the growing flax used to be plucked for poultices in cases of violent pains and septic wounds. The term 'cramp' was give to the place where the flax used to be 'scrutched'. The 'unbleached linen' was then woven and made into bed linen, sheets, bolster and pillow sets. This linen was bleached in
time by sunlight or frost. Coarse linen towels were the only ones in use then. The flax was also sent to the mill in Boyle. The remains of the spinning wheels are still in the houses and the 'comb' portion is used for curry-combing horses.
