School: Tobberclair
- Location:
- Toberclare, Co. Westmeath
- Teacher: Seán Ó Briain
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0747, Page 014
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- XML “Old Crafts”
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- The making of candles was a very common custom around the district of Creevenamanagh. All the people of the district made their own candles. They made them from rushes. Those rushes grow in low lying lands beside lakes or rivers. The people used to cut them with hooks and put them in little sheaves. They put these little sheaves beside a fire to dry. Next they use to break the skin that is around the rushes. Inside this skin was a soft dough. When they had them peeled they tied every three together. Then they had what was called a grisset this was put on the fire and a sort of lard or unsalted butter melted in it. Each little bundle of rushes were then placed in the grisset and taken out at once and hung up to dry. They were left there for a couple of days to dry and are then ready to be placed in little candlesticks and when lighted showed as good a light as the candles that are made nowadays.The people around the village of Glasson made baskets. To make a basket you(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Peg Murray
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Tullyhogan, Co. Westmeath
