School: Baile na Cille (roll number 1320)
- Location:
- Ballynakill, Co. Galway
- Teacher: Éinrí Ó Mainnín
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0051, Page 0022
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- XML “Old Houses”
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- Many houses long ago were made of sods and these were thatched with rushes. Rafters were placed together to form a roof. Then scraws were placed together (*over them) for cover and these were thatched with rushes.
There was only one room in the houses long ago. The fire was in the middle of the floor and the bed was beside it. There was a hole in the roof to let out the smoke.
There was no door in the houses long ago but there was a hole so that the people could enter. A bush was left in the hole to stop beasts from going in.
Cabbage- stalks and sticks were used for fire.
Some people had little lamps which they made themselves. The lamp consisted of a bottle, bog-deal and lard. They broke the neck of the bottle and they rolled the stick of deal in the lard. Then they put more grease under it as oil. These lamps were called Bunkers.
Long ago the people made candles themselves. They packed rushes and they rolled lard on them.
Information by Finn Monahan, Curra, Kylebrack, Loughrea
Eugene Monagan, Curra, Kylebrack, Loughrea
- Collector
- Eugene Monahan
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Curragh, Co. Galway
- Informant
- Finn Monahan
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Curragh, Co. Galway
