School: Rinn Tuirc (roll number 9835)
- Location:
- Reenturk, Co. Kerry
- Teacher: S. Bean Uí Rinn
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0403, Page 226
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- Flax: The first process is the digging of the ground. The best part of the field is dug with spades. Then the seed is sown. When it is about 18" high it is wed. The workers go along on their knees facing the wind and carefully removing all weeds. When it is fully grown it has a pretty blue flower. It is then pulled, and tied in sheaves and taken to a boghole and put under the water for about 14 days. Then it is taken up and spread out to dry in a bare field. This process is called bleeching. It is next gathered into sheaves again and put into a house to dry. Then it is broken on the floor with a bittle until the husk separates from the fibre. Next it is cloven by women with cloven tongs. It is again tied in sheaves and then goes through a process which is called hackling. By this the tow is separated from the flax. The flax is then spun into thread by a woman with a linen wheel. The thread is next warped(continues on next page)
