School: An Clochar, Cathair Saidhbhín (roll number 13542)
- Location:
- Cahersiveen, Co. Kerry
- Teacher: An tSr. M. de Lourdes Stac
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0476, Page 320
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- (continued from previous page)made beautiful daisy and buttercup crowns and made hair bands from plaiting three rushes together. They also made cubby houses and covered the floor with carpet of green moss but often a curious red hen would come strutting along and anxious to know if worms lay in hiding underneath the carpet the stupid old thing would tear it all up and knock down all the shelves with her tail. The boys of course had their own pastimes. They made a dancing master by getting a flat board out of which they carved the figure of a man. They then bored a hole through the board with a knitting needle, through this hole they drew a piece of wire to which they fastened two little sticks to represent the legs. The hands were fastened in like manner, then the dancing master was ready to give a display of his steps. They made guns too by getting a goose-quill into which a round bit of sticks was fitted. Into the lower part of the quill a piece of sliced potato was put, the bit of stick was pressed in with force and the potato went off giving some other boy a bang in the face. In days gone by, boys spent most of the winter nights in making “cribs” to catch blackbirds and thrushes. These twigs were made of twigs and were more or less dome-shaped. These were set in the meadows, held with one side elevated by a fork-shaped twig or Gabhlog, underneath the “crip” was placed a piece of bread. The greedy blackbird on seeing this darted forward to snatch it, knocked the Gabhlóg and so entrapped himself. Boys then, as now were very much given to playing(continues on next page)
