School: An Clochar, Cúil Mhaoile

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1. Travelling Folk

   

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   Tinkers call at my home nearly every week and always the same folk. Some are poor but they get the dole. Nearly everyone has a basket with them with flowers, lace, mats and oilcloths. A great lot of people buy from them. They get the goods in Woolworths and sell them and gain a profit. Nearly every woman has a child on her back.
   People do not like to see them coming to their homes because they ask for too much alms. They stay for a week at one place and often longer. They sleep in tents and caravans and cook in them also. They beg for alms. They accept meat, flour, sugar, tea potatoes and mostly want money.
   Some walk around from place to place and more go on carts and caravans. They go in bands and families. The MacDonaghs are the best known tinkers in the district. The MacDonaghs, McCabes and Wards visit the district most often.
   Sometimes they cause trouble in the district by letting horses into people's fields and destroying the crops and other things. They often steal turf hay and potatoes from the people.
   The usually come on fair days and often cause a lot of trouble by getting drunk and then they flight and often have to be taken to the barrack and left there for the night. The women get drunk too and are often worse fighters than the men as they start throwing bottles and other things and cut one another badly. They do not tell stories but bring news from distant parts, and

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. agents (~1)
      1. people by social grouping
         1. travellers (~3,023)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Mary Conboy

   Gender

   Female

   Informant

   Mrs Conboy

   Relation

   Parent

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Tully Beg, Co. Sligo