School: Tigh Molaga (C.) (roll number 12457)

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1. Old Houses

   

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   My Grandmother said that when her mother went on a visit to a friend of hers in Cloughgriffin she discovered that the chimneys were blocked with turf sods which were white-washed over. On inquiring the reason, she was told that there was a tax on windows and chimneys before emancipation, so windows and chimneys were blocked in most places.
   There was a bog called "the corrach ruadh near her (my Grandmothers house in Ballincoursey which supplied the household with fuel. The vein of turf in this bog gave out about 100 years ago. If the ashes of the turf were put back into the hole from which the turf was dug, the turf would be after replacing itself by now - after 100 years. Nobody bothered doing this and the bog was cut down to the yellow earth, and trees grow now on some of it which is owned by Dararra, though no trees grow on the 9 acres of it, which are owned by my Uncle. Long ago 12 men came each year saving the turf.
   The half-door which was in most old houses, was handy for keeping out the fowl on a warm day when the big door couldn't be closed. The smith made the hinges[?]

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. objects
      1. man-made structures
         1. buildings
            1. residential buildings (~2,723)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Cáitlín Ní Miodhache

   Gender

   Female

   Informant

   Mrs Collins

   Relation

   Grandparent

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   76

   Address

   Garrane, Co. Cork