School: Conahy (roll number 14364)
- Location:
- Connahy, Co. Kilkenny
- Teacher: Ciarán Ó Riagáin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0865, Page 408
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- XML “Travelling Folk”
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- "Sure of all trades going
Begging is the best
For when you are tired
You can sit down and rest."Many people think that these lines are true and that the life of the pedlar or "knight of the road" is a healthy and carefree one. I suppose it has its sorrows and hardships as well as its joys. There are many different types of folk who take to the road. There are the "poor people" who travel from door to door and from place to place begging, and who spend their nights in a barn or hayshed. There are the Gypsies who travel in Caravans and sometimes camp for days in one place, during which the residents in the vicinity have to keep a watchful eye on their fowl. Then again there are the tinkers who visit this district periodically. These are usually honest folk, but sometimes very quarrelsome - among themselves. They travel in groups usually or clan by the same name. They camp by the roadside or in a disused house. The men work away by day making and mending tin cans and buckets, kettles etc. while the women folk take them around to the farmers houses to sell them. The children of the camp go to the houses asking for bread, potatoes, money or anything they can(continues on next page)
