School: Baile Dubh (C.) (roll number 2493)
- Location:
- Ballyduff, Co. Kerry
- Teacher: Brighid, Bean Uí Leathlobhair
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0415, Page 276
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- XML “Flax Plant”
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- A field of flax is as nice a sight as you could see, when in full bloom. It looks so soft and green and it bears a beautiful flower of a bright blue. The flax plant furnishes us with three very useful articles. First of all there is a valuable oil called linseed oil. Secondly we get linseed-meal which is used for poultices. Thirdly is the tough fibre which we make into linen, the most beautiful cloth in the world. The flax after being pulled is dragged through iron combs to tear off the seed-pods. After the flax stems have been steeped for about fourteen days the plants are taken from the water and dried. It is then bleached and taken to the threshing-floor where it is beaten with wooden mallets in order to get the soft fibre. If required to make linen it was spun into yarn by a machine called a Genny. In later time the spinning wheel came into use but nowadays it is all done by machinery.
- Collector
- Mary Sheehy
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 12
- Address
- Ballyduff, Co. Kerry
- Informant
- Patrick Sheehy
- Relation
- Parent
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Ballyduff, Co. Kerry
