Volume: CBÉ 0407 (Part 1)
- Date
- 1937
- Collector
- Locations
Archival Reference
The Main Manuscript Collection, Volume 0407, Page 0013
Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.
See copyright details.
DownloadOn this page
- M'athair: My father & his seven brothers lived on the farm in Ballinastraw, on the right bank of the Slaney at a spot generally known as "The Rock" , on account of the amount of exposed granite in the precipitious banks of the river - one of Ireland's unknown beauty spots. At that time the farmer owned the portion of the river by his land & all the fish he could catch. For that purpose he has built a weir across the Slaney. My father often told me that he brought many a load of salmon - as much as the horse could carry - into Carlow College & brought home a load of meal instead & plenty of money to boot. Then came the time when the tenant had no claim to the fish of the river for wh. he paid rent. The weir was knocked. That was a severe blow to those living by the Slaney.
- The Rock was always famous for its poitin, & as there were eight strong abled-bodied men in the family, the manufacture of the illicit spirits was more often a family job. You could not be prosecuted at that time for making poitin except the gauger found you in possession of the WORM.
One morning in mid-June the work was in "full swing" when they spotted the gauger & about(continues on next page)
