School: Melview, Longford (roll number 7518)
- Location:
- Knockawalky, Co. Longford
- Teacher: P. Ó Tuathaigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0757, Page 168
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- XML School: Melview, Longford
- XML Page 168
- XML “Olden Times”
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- God be with the old times. In this district long ago, all the people lived mostly on the produce of the land. They made their own bread out of wheat, when it is ground into flour. They had to dig their land with loys and spades, and covered the seed with bushes, because they had no ploughs or harrows.
When they were cutting the turf they had to shape them with their hands, and had to bring them home in creels on an ass's back. They grew their own flax, and scutched it in a barn with scutchers. Then they spun it on the spinning wheel, and made clothes out of it. When they wanted to dye their clothes they used the leaves of the poppy.
They used the tallow of a cow's hoof to wash their clothes, and when they were dirty, they beat them on a flat stone. They used unsalted fat for candles.(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Kevin O' Connor
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Newtown Forbes, Co. Longford
- Informant
- Miss Igoe
- Relation
- Relative (other than parent or grandparent)
- Gender
- Female
