School: Leitir Mhic an Bhaird (Robertson) (roll number 15283)

Location:
Leitir Mhic an Bhaird, Co. Donegal
Teacher:
Nábla Nic Amhlaidhe
Browse
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1054, Page 439

Archival Reference

The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1054, Page 439

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: Leitir Mhic an Bhaird (Robertson)
  2. XML Page 439
  3. XML “Na Prátaí”

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. 439
    Simon Elliot Farmer (40 years
    Longfield, Lettermacaward
    Na Prátaí ;- "The Spring Work"
    The land is dug with spades. Then the drills are opened. It is used to be all ridges in this part and now it is only very rarely that ridges are to be seen. The drills are made with the shovel. The spades are bought in the shop.
    The men cut the potatoes, that are for seed. They take care to leave eyes in the pieces. They are put into creels when they are cut and are left standing until they are dry. The refuse parts of the potatoes are boiled for the fowl.
    The potatoes for planting are carried out in the creels. The splits (they) are placed between every two drills leaving about a foot of space between each two cuts. The people say they are planting. Then a man covers them with the shovel taking the clay of the sides of the drills. Nothing more takes place until they are about a fortnight set. They then either put manure or seaweed on the top of the potatoes. The manure or seaweed is carted to both ends of the drills and then it is carried in creels through the drills, and it is left at suitable distances for spreading. Some spread it evenly on the top of the potatoes with qraips and others with their hands. I understand that the seaweed is always spread with the hands. If seaweed is put on nothing more is done until the plants come up through it as if it was covered immediately the potatoes would melt. The manure is covered immediately with the shovel. When the plants are up a couple of inches above the ground more clay is shovelled up on the two sides of the drill out of the shough.
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. activities
      1. economic activities
        1. agriculture (~2,659)
          1. potatoes (~2,701)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Nábla Nic Amhlaidhé
    Gender
    Female
    Occupation
    Múinteoir
    Informant
    Simon Elliott
    Gender
    Male
    Age
    40
    Occupation
    Farmer
    Address
    An Pháirc Fhada, Co. Donegal