School: Landsdowne (Cuar na gCoileach) (roll number 6091)

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   “When lamp oil was unknown about 60 or 70 years ago and when no candles were used in country districts except their own homemade ones...”

   

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   When lamp oil was unknown about 60 or 70 years ago and when no candles were used in country districts except their own homemade ones & they too were scarce & called dip-candles, bog-deal was generally used for lighting purposes, either by a smollán in the fire or by splinters made from the smooth sticks with a good grain and made into hurdles Winter evenings by the fear a tighe or Seana Dhaid. These were hung over the hob to dry and used carefully one by one held in the hand of some youth, who should watch it carefully & snuff it from time to time so as to give light to the readers or spinners and for supper very often it was stuck in a potato on the table to set the youth free while the supper was being taken (their third meal).
   The spinner spun with the light of the smollán in the fire and she was never really happy but when the smollán fire was going strong. She (the spinner) was able to detect the durnán and the smug better with this smollán.
   The splinter was also used when the furze was cut for the horse in the [?] with the over head light of the splinter.

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Languages

   Irish

   English

   Collector

   Eibhlín Bean Uí Shúilleabháin

   Gender

   Female

   Occupation

   Múinteoir

   Informant

   Mrs S. O' Sullivan

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Derrynid, Co. Kerry