School: Elphin (B.) (roll number 1753)
- Location:
- Elphin, Co. Roscommon
- Teacher: Mícheál Ó Cianáin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0250, Page 355
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- XML “Old Houses”
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- Long ago houses were not built of stone as they are now.
There were mud walls and thatched roofs.
They were thatched with rye straw or sometimes with rushes.
When a house was built, there were sods put on over the wood and then it was thatched. The thatch was kept on to the sods by scollops so that the wind could not blow it off.
There was only one room and a kitchen in the old houses.
They were very comfortable but unhealthy.
The floors were earthen. There was no chimney on it.
If the people of a house had a cow she was tied in the end of the house at night.
The windows were very small. At night the only light to be had was rush candles because there(continues on next page)
