School: An Clochar, Neidín
- Location:
- Kenmare, Co. Kerry
- Teacher: Brighid Ní Lochlainn
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0461, Page 440
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- XML “Lighting”
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- Lighting
Up to about 1830 (1) bog-deal torches fixed in a sod of turf was [?] the only means of artificial lighting among the peasantry of Clanmaurice. (2) Then people began to make ‘dip’ candled from sheep fat. These flax threads were lowered into the fat, lifted out & allowed to dry. Then lowered again & dried. The process repeated until the candle was of required thickness. The candles were not satisfactory they were melting uneven and untidily, leaving great quantities of tallow in their neighbourhood. But they were an improvement on the torch as they lasted longer. This candle was the páideóg. the name was then transferred to [?] which were untidily and awkward and generally made a mess of things in which they dabbled.
3. Then came the mould candles which the people considered a great luxury (before 1850). My grandmother Mrs. Johanna Crowley did not make clear to me the method of making the candles, but the following information was supplied by a school child. Kellie O’Sullivan Cloonlea, Kilgarvan, Glenarought in March 1938. She got the information from her grandmother a very old lady. Mrs. O’Sullivan residing in the same place.
A metal tube open at both ends was got and one end was placed on a sod of turf to prevent the melted tallow from escaping. The wick was then let down. A nail or long thin piece of metal(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Bridget Mc Loughlin
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Kenmare, Co. Kerry
