School: Derryhanee (roll number 16228)
- Location:
- Derryhanee, Co. Roscommon
- Teacher: Mrs B. Wilkinson
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0253, Page 397
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- XML “The Care of the Feet”
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- The Care of the Feet
It was unusual to see children wearing boots in former times. May people went to the grave who never wore boots or shoes. At the present time children in the country go barefooted to school during the summer months. It is very good for the health and feet to go barefooted.
In olden times there was a shoemaker in every townland but there is no one now to make boots or shoes or repair them in this locality. All the footwear is manufactured in cities or towns.
All old men and women wore clogs in the winter and went barefooted in the summer as the clogs were too hot. There was a tanyard in Longford where leather was made.
- Collector
- Eileen Mac Donald
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 12
- Address
- Termonbarry, Co. Roscommon
- Informant
- Pat Navin
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 72
- Address
- Lack, Co. Roscommon
- Long ago some people did not wear boots until they were sixteen or seventeen years of age. Others did not wear any at all. The children in this district go barefoot in the summer. Long ago the people washed their feet with soap and water. When washed, they left a piece of soap on the ground for the fairies lest they would come that night and steal all the soap. There are no shoemakers in(continues on next page)
