School: Loughteague, Stradbally (roll number 6129)

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1. Customs

   

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   In olden times - 50 or 60 years ago - it was the custom for people from the mountains (above Timahoe) to get a bit of land from the farmers about here, in order to sow a few ridges or drills of potatoes. They would manure the ground and sow their crop thus enriching the land for the farmer who gave the bit of ground free- no payment. A workman who hadn't a garden of his own got a few drills of his employer's field of which is sow potatoes. He manured the ground- paid nothing.
   Up to 70 or 80 years ago this district was well populated. There was a row of houses along the side of the side of the road from the school called "the Range." The poor people were evicted from their little cabins, much of them went off to America or the Coffin Shop and there's not tale or tidings to be had of them in the country. The little cabins were mud-walls which soon fell. The little gardens are now part of another Grennan farm. There was another range of little cabins- 9 or 10- on the other road opposite Cooke 'O gate. They met the same fate: their little places fell to another Grennah's grandfather too.
   When [???] Henry Brennan was married and came to live here 50 years ago there were fourteen houses containing fourteen families along the red [???] road between the cross and the church (15 [???] mile or 20) of those only three houses are standing. There is not a single child in any of the three houses.

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. agriculture (~2,659)

   Language

   English