School: Scoil N. Comáin, Hollymount

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   “I remember when I was a lad a "Patron" to be held in Roundfort.”

   

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   stones were placed all round for seats. Lunch of pupils consisted of four or five potatoes per pupil. Willie Ansbro of Hollymount used to have bread. He was the only one. If he did not mind it well, the bread would be stolen from him.
   During the winter months when we used to have the fire during school hours in the church, we used to roast our potatoes in this fire. That's where the struggle used to be - each looking for his own four potatoes. John Fair (of Roundfort) was at school with me. One day he was pushed into the fire at lunch time and was burnt.
   Thomas Sullivan was the teacher. Sullivan himself never attended any but a hedge school. A good teacher he was. His father was estate clerk in Bloomfield (for the Ruttledges of Bloomfield House near Hollymount). The father taught the son, Thomas.
   In 1869, I (John Merrick) attended school first. The senior pupils only had pens. They were quill pens. The ink was made from berries of the bore-tree (elder).
   One day that the master did not turn up we began to sing High Mass in imitation of

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. objects
      1. man-made structures
         1. buildings
            1. schools (~4,094)

   Languages

   Irish

   English

   Collector

   Donnchadh Ó Riain

   Gender

   Male

   Occupation

   Múinteoir

   Address

   Rahard, Co. Mayo

   Informant

   John Merrick

   Relation

   Not a relative

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   85

   Occupation

   Farmer

   Address

   Hollymount Demesne, Co. Mayo