School: Belcarra (Buachaillí)

Location:
Ballycarra, Co. Mayo
Teacher:
Seosamh Ó Heireamhóin
Browse
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0094, Page 337

Archival Reference

The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0094, Page 337

Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.

See copyright details.

Download

Open data

Available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

  1. XML School: Belcarra (Buachaillí)
  2. XML Page 337
  3. XML “Lights”

Note: We will soon deprecate our XML Application Programming Interface and a new, comprehensive JSON API will be made available. Keep an eye on our website for further details.

On this page

  1. Long ago the people had no lights like we have now. The lights they had long ago was trees that grow in the bog called bog-deal. They used to cut it into long slices and bring it home, and leave it beside the fire to dry. When they would be working at night, they would light the bog-deal, and hold it up in their hand to show them light. That is why the rooks of the old houses were so black with the smoke of the bog-deal. Another light the people used to have was, they used to get three or four bull rushes and plait them together, and steep them in grease, and they would light a candle.
    This was told to me by my mother Mrs Prendergast
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. activities
      1. economic activities
        1. trades and crafts (~4,680)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    J. Prendergast
    Gender
    Unknown
    Address
    Curraghmore, Co. Mayo
    Informant
    Mrs Prendergast
    Relation
    Parent
    Gender
    Female
    Age
    45