School: Derrynananta

Location:
Derrynananta Lower, Co. Cavan
Teacher:
Mrs O' Regan
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0965, Page 010

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0965, Page 010

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  1. About sixty years ago every farmer in the parish of Glangevlin in Co Cavan grew at least a rood of flax and from this flax they made coarse linen. This linen was used for various purposes such as shirts, sheets etc. After the flax was pulled it had to undergo various processes. One of these was beating it with a flat wooden mallet. Before the beating, the flax had to be dried over a fire. There was a wicker-work frame placed over the fire and on this frame the flax was placed to dry. There was always great danger of the flax bursting into flames when the fire was strong. One time there was a farmer in Glangevlin named James Fleming drying flax in a barn beside the dwelling house. On this day the wind was blowing strongly. The draught from the door blew the fire into a big blaze reaching up to the wicker-frame. The flax caught fire
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. events
      1. hardship (~1,565)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Peggy Mc Govern
    Gender
    Female
    Address
    Moneensauran, Co. Cavan
    Informant
    James De Lacy
    Gender
    Male
    Age
    81
    Address
    Moneensauran, Co. Cavan