School: Barradubh (Sixmilebridge)

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1. Old Trades - Wheel Strings (continued)

   

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   The cleaned gut was then brought home and stretched diagonally across the kitchen. One end was fastened first and then the gut was twisted in such a way that the "twist" was evening distributed along the whole stretch of gut. When the gut was longer than the kitchen diagonally it was taken across to another corner of the house and so on till it was all stretched and fastened with no part of it touching another. It took over a week to dry properly and was tested regularly because if not properly dried it would afterwards stretch in use or might not.
   When properly dried it was a dark brown colour and this colour came as the original whiteness disappeared. It was then rolled in coils and ready for use.
   Up to the Great War I saw wheel strings made repeatedly by my mother the late Mrs Mary ODonoghue [??] Glenflesk Co Kerry who died aged 77 in 1929.
   As a boy I was fond of fishing in the Summer time. I saw older people having fishing lines which they bought and on a few occasions I was laughed at because I

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Dómhnall Ua Donnchadha

   Gender

   Male

   Occupation

   Múinteoir