School: Teach Chaoin (C.) (roll number 6681)

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1. Shoes Worn Long Ago

   

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   Long ago the children got no shoes until they were thirteen or fourteen years old, and the majority of them got none until they were going to England.

   Somepeople never wore any shoes, especially the beggars, there was one beggar woman in the parish called "cosaí móra" and she never wore shoes, and her feet used to be swollen with the cold, but she wore croijríns" which were old stockings without soles which kept her legs warm

   Shoes were made by the shoemaker or "jrésside" and they were very strong and hard. There were two jréssides in this parish and they were kept very busy because there were no shoes sold in the shops at that time, the tools they used were a hammer, an awl, wax and rúador and an iron last and brads and nails. The nails were made by the "nailer" who lived in Claremorris, my father said he often watched him making nails, there is an old saying "as busy as a nailer."

   The shoemaker had every tale and story, and news, and if he hadn't the shoes made when the people went for them he took the blame off himself by telling a story, there is an old saying "com

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. objects
      1. clothing and accessories (~2,403)
         1. shoes (~1,841)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Kathleen Mc Hugh

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Garravlagh, Co. Mayo

   Informant

   James Mc Hugh

   Relation

   Parent

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Garravlagh, Co. Mayo