School: Cornagon (roll number 15690)

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1. Thatching

   

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   The most common roof on every house in my district is a thatched roof. When a house wants a coat of thatch, scallops are first got, scallops are fairly thick rods about two feet long and pointed on each end. They are then tied up in bundles and left in water until the house is going to get thatched. A ladder and a thatch mallot is got and some straw, rushes and wheaten straw are also used. When rushes are going to be used the heads and buts are all left the same way. When the thatcher has all ready he cleans the old bad thatch down and puts on scraws, then he starts at the eve and he thatches as far as the Rigin, leaving it about a foot wide as he goes up putting it firm as he goes along by means of scallops, When he reaches the top he puts the straw across, so that when he is going to thatch the riggan he has only to put in the scallops. He continues this unil he has all that the house wants finished, He then sprays the house to keep the birds from picking the thatch. The next time when he goes to thatch if there is any of the thatch rotten he cleans it down and by and by the house gets more comfortable and warmer. He then clips the eve's by means of a shears very even and straight

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. trades and crafts (~4,680)
            1. thatching (~353)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Michael Ward

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Drumkirwan, Co. Leitrim