School: Cnoc Breac (roll number 13041)

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1. The Knocknagoshel Mill

   

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   About eighty years ago an enterprising man came from Coolbawn in the Co COrk and bought the mill in Ballinacartin in the parish of Knocknagoshel which was run by Baily on a small scale up to that. Edmond Shaughnassy was a very clever man and saw a great future for his industry. He built a fine three storey house for his machinery and put the big wheel at the end outside of it and which is turned by the mill-stream from the combined waters of the Glena and Abha Bheag. Very soon his mill became famous and people came 25 and 30 miles away from Kerry and the neighbouring counties Cork and Limerick. It seemed to be a custom for a whole townland to go the same day to the mill and it was a usual sight for the Ballinacartin people when they were milking the cows on a summers evening to see 10 or 12 horses and cars passing to the mill. They had their wool loaded in bales in the cars and the woman of the house always accompanied the driver. They had so many people coming to the mill in them days that some people had to wait 2 and 3 days for their turn and they used to make a bed under the car to sleep in. In exchange for their wool they used to carry home tweed, frieze, and flannel which were the only materials worn at that time and which were all

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Kathleen Leahy

   Gender

   Female

   Informant

   Mrs P. Leahy

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Ballinacartin, Co. Kerry