School: Gortermone

Location:
Gortermone, Co. Leitrim
Teacher:
Mrs A. O' Reilly
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0229, Page 196

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0229, Page 196

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  1. XML School: Gortermone
  2. XML Page 196
  3. XML “Candle-Making”

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  1. The old people made rush & resin candles. I have seen the rush candles made but not the resin. They peeled the thick rushes called locally (Bull-rushes) and placed them on the loft to dry. In a long, narrow shaped vessel called a (grisset) they melted fat placed a handful of the dried peeled rushes in the melted fat, cooled them & then lit them. The candle-sti[ck?] being a soft turf with the candles placed in small holes round about.
    John McCabe[?] Gortermore tells me that reisin was boiled in the grisset, a selvedge of corduroy very narrow was procured twisted The boiled reisin was poured into a thin candlestick (made of tin or iron) something like what was used long ago to hold slate petals[?] the corduroy wick was drawn thro' the middle of the small pipe or candlestick previously full of hot reisin, all was cooled & the candle pulled out of the shape, wick lighted & so reisin candle.
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. activities
      1. economic activities
        1. trades and crafts (~4,680)
          1. candle-making (~728)
    Language
    English
    Informant
    John Melalie
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Gortermone, Co. Leitrim