School: Mantua (roll number 2327)

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1. Hedge-Schools (continued)

   

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   scholars and lodged in their houses. For payment they recieved potatoes and turf and probably a little money. The blackboard used in some of these schools was the wall of the school-room. The master usually stayed three years in a district.

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

2. Local Crafts

   

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   About sixty years ago there was a man in Ballinameen named Thomas Cregg. He was a great candle maker. he used to get the wool of a sheep and fry fat meat and mix them up. Then he used to get a bit of toe and put it in the middle. He then used ot leave it in a cool place to set.
   Patrick Mahon was a great basket maker. He used to grow the finest sally rods for this purpose. He used to weave the rods in and out and he used to strengthen them with what was called a bunion. He used to make creels also in the same way.
   Forty or fifty years ago there was a man in Mantua named Neary who was a great weaver. He used to make huge bags our of toe. He also made strong ropes out of the toe he would have left over. These ropes were a good deal stronger than the ones we buy nowadays.
   Peter Travers was a great thatcher about sixty years ago. He used to charge two shillings a day but if he did a job he was very exact about it. If there was a blade of straw out of place he would clip it. He used to go round from

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. trades and crafts (~4,680)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Liam Mc Gann

   Gender

   Male

   Informant

   Mr Patrick Sharkey

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   88

   Occupation

   Farmer

   Address

   Brackloon, Co. Roscommon