School: Leamh-choill
- Location:
- Drumsillagh, Co. Roscommon
- Teacher: Cáit Ní Ghadhra
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0232, Page 061
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- The manufacture of spades. Spades were not in general use. Laighes were used instead. "Steephens" were also used for planting potatoes. The blacksmith made "sleáns" for cutting turf.
Gates - Wooden gates were more common than iron gates and hung crudely on log piers with leather hinges.
Ploughs - Long ago there were no iron ploughs only wooden ones. The plough used be drawn by bullocks. An ass often 'ploughed' with a "loy".
Fire-cranes - the blacksmith in Cootehall (Mr. Shivnin) used to make the fire cranes. Once a fire crane was set in it remained there for ever.
Spinning wheels - There was a spinning wheel in every house. Every woman young and old were experts at spinning. Many spin at the present day also. "I put my foot upon its foot and on it I did jig and with the hairy long I felt the whirligig." (riddle).
Weaving Frames - a weaving frame is about the size of a table and the "long" threads are secured at the top and bottom. It has a belt which works the shuttle over and back (about 28" or 36" in width). The belt is driven by the feet.
Dyeing - The women boiled the chopped blackberry briars in a big pot and mixed a few pence worth of logwood powder through it. They then removed the briars and placed the frieze in the pot and allowed it to boil for a few hours, when it was coloured black. Yellow moss was used to colour wool and heather was also used as a dye.
