School: Finiskill (roll number 13075)
- Location:
- Finiskil, Co. Leitrim
- Teacher: Cathal Ó Floinn
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0219, Page 377
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- (continued from previous page)younger children ate their meals while seated on stools or on the floor around the fire. I have never heard locally of a table being hung against the wall when not in use. Flour as we have seen, was rather a rarity in those days and so oaten bread was one of the chief items of diet, This was easily made by mixing up ground oatmeal carefully with water until it became rather sticky. It was then flattened out into a thin cake either by hand or with a rolling pin. Next it was placed upon a grid iron, which implement was square-shaped and had a prop behind it to keep it standing almost vertically in front of the fire and after about ten minutes if the fire were good the reverse side of the cake was turned toward the heat.In about twenty minutes altogether the cake or "bannock" as it was called was ready for use. Oaten bread was much harder and firmer than any bread produced in a bakery but the old people believed that it was both nourishing and good for the teeth which it certainly was.
"Boxty" or bread made from potatoes was also very popular in this district and is widely used even at the present day. To make boxty, which might be either boiled or baked on a pan, potatoes were peeled in their raw state and(continues on next page)
