School: Gleann an Chairthe (roll number 13345)
- Location:
- Glencar, Co. Leitrim
- Teacher: Seán Mag Ualghairg
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0193, Page 212
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- XML “Thatching”
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- Thatching is a trade which is going out of the country. Only very few men can thatch. In towns or cities all the houses are slated and a thatcher is not needed but in the country there is a lot of thatched houses. No house can be as warm or as comfortable as a thatched house. When the mason work is finished a thatcher is got for to thatch the house.
The house is roofed with couples and side ribs. Next soraws are put up with the grass side out.
Then he gets a ladder, a sharp knife, and a wooden hammer. He gets drrushes or straw, and rods that are painted on both ends these rods are called seallops
Then he puts up a handful of straw and binds it with one of the painted rods.
Handfull by handful until he gets up to the top of the house He puts up the thatch about a foot and a half wide. When he has got to the top of the house in this way it is called a streak. If the days are long and if the thatcher has a man attending him he would be able to put up about six streaks.
- Collector
- Brendan O Byrne
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 13
- Address
- Tomrud, Co. Leitrim
