School: Tomhaggard
- Location:
- Tomhaggard, Co. Wexford
- Teacher: Séamus Ó Riain
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0877, Page 253
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- XML “Travelling Men”
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- Years ago, Travellers were to be seen in great numbers, and many queer yarns were told about them and their funny nick names. An old travelling man named "Tom Lome(?)" used to travel about the country buying bones and bottles, and in exchange for them he would give pins, needles, brooches etc. My Grandmother remembers him calling at a house to buy rags, and while he was bargaining inside with one girl, her sister slipped out and filled a bag from the pedlar's car, then came in, saying, "This is all I can collect for you today", and the unfortunate pedlar rebought his own rags.Another old timer she remembers and he is at present just out of the "Home", Jack the Shilling. He is very old and was a great follower of the Wexford All-Ireland hurlers. They never went to play anywhere but Jack was with them dressed up in the Wexford colours. My Mother told me he often asked her to get him a green tie. He would say, "We're going to Croke Park on Sunday" and if you gave him a red tie he did not know the colour.Other names of old travellers are Stirabout fine, Denny Gundy, and another called Big Pockets. They all had their favourite lodging place and were never refused a night's shelter.
- Collector
- Lilly Dempsey
- Gender
- Female
