School: Liath-Mhuine
- Location:
- Leaffony, Co. Sligo
- Teacher: Bean Mhic Fhionnlaoich
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0163, Page 420
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- This is a description of how the people dig the potatoes in the district. They are lifted in many different ways. The majority of the people of this district lift their potatoes with spades. The potatoes are lifted in the month of October.
First they ask some of their neighbours to help them with the picking and digging. Then they go out digging and the children pick them into buckets and throw them in heaps in the field to be covered. They pick the big potatoes into pits for themselves and then they pick the small ones which are generally picked into bags and used for pigs. When the potatoes are dug, they are first covered with grass and weeds. This is done to help them from rotting. Then they are covered with clay.
The digger. Some people get the digger which of course is a much quicker way than digging with the spade. But you require a great number of pickers. They are picked in the way I have already described and are also covered in the same way.
Digging with ploughs
The farmers in this district also dig them with ploughs. The plough is a good method, but the potatoes are very hard picked because they are covered with clay and when rain comes the farmers generally go out to pick the last ones.
Written by Linda Gilmon
Rathlee P.O
Co. Sligo.
- Collector
- Linda Gibson
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Rathlee, Co. Sligo
