School: Gortermone

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1. Nail-Making (continued)

   

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   Might I say that at this particular cross-roads many public dances were held in the summer time. A man lived beside it called Phil the flute-player, (Phil Higgins) and a fiddler - (Ned Corrigan) the latter a poor man. Both used to play every evening on the Crossroads from Tuesday to Sunday (Saturday excepted) The "Ball" collected on Sunday given to poor Ned, only means of living. The people paid 1d & 2d each and a real swank paid 3d or 6d and was thanked for it. The money was collected on a delph plate, the pennies sounding violently when thrown in.
   This custom was also carried on in local barns in the winter time. A travelling fiddler called (Auld Masterson) as also three sons earned their living thus and whenever they had the barn for the week they gave music lessons free as also collected their other pupils around for practice lessons during the day. I saw several aspirants and the old fiddler all practising in the home I was reared in about thirty years ago. I also learned the fiddle myself in this way. You got up in the morning listening to the strains of the fiddle. You heard it all day

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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. nail-making (~117)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Annie O Reilly

   Gender

   Female