School: Drumloughan (Dromlachan) (roll number 15665)

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1. The People's Diet (100 years ago) (continued)

   

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   The old people were very hard workers. They had no ploughs or mowing machines and all putting out of manure and topdressing had to be done with creels on their own backs. Asses could not even work for there were no passes. I knew old men that covered whole acres of moor with arable soil to a depth of 1ft, and they carried it all on creels on their backs. That was when they began to reclaim the bogs or cut-a-ways. The men also carried the tubs of butter on their backs to the town. There was an old man in Tooma that carried a tub of butter the whole way to Belturbrid and was back early the same day. Indeed they were strong but they killed themselves with hard work. When the man got up in the morning, he didn't look for his breakfast first thing but went out to work and in about an hour the wife called him in and he sat down to a cake of oaten bread and a pound of butter and a noggin of new milk. I'm telling you when he had eaten that he could call the queen his aunt. About 2 or 3 oclock

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   P. Mac Giolla Choinnigh

   Gender

   Male

   Informant

   John Kilkenny

   Relation

   Parent

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   66

   Address

   Drumshanbo North, Co. Leitrim