School: Sean-Chill

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1. Colouring Wool

   

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   There was a colouring pot in every locality. Each person got his round by paying a shilling. The dying was generally done in summer. The pot used to hold two or three stone at a time. It was fairly heavy. There was no tweed that time and the people used to wear home made freige and flannel. The pot had three legs about nine inches long. The colouring was done outside in a sheltered place near water. They used to gather alder branches and briers and chop them up. They used to put water in the pot and throw in the chopped alders and briers. They used to boil well until the liquid got brown like tea. They used to teem it out then into tubs and add more water fearnóg and briers. They kept on like this until they had as much liquid as they required. They used then clear out the pot and fill it with the fearnóg and brier liquid. This liquid used to (stick) make the colour stick. They used then boil the wool in the liquid for half a day or so adding the liquid as required. They used then put in a substance called logwood. This was in small little chips of timber. This substance was sewn in a little canvas bag, thrown into the pot and boiled for a couple of hours until the wool became the colour of the liquid - a brownish yellow. The wool was kept constantly stirred in the pot with a

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   R. O' Connell

   Address

   Kilkerrin, Co. Galway

   Informant

   Thomas Brennan

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   72

   Occupation

   Smith

   Address

   Annaghbeg, Co. Galway