School: Castlecoote (roll number 6344)
- Location:
- Castlecoote, Co. Roscommon
- Teacher: Máire, Bean Uí Ghabhláin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0263, Page 286
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- On the banks of the Suck near Castlecoote lived a famous poacher and fisher. His home was approached by a narrow deep wet boreen. There were three walls the fourth being dug out of the side of a hill. The walls were formed of tempered yellow clay called daub, mixed with chopped straw. It was comfortably thatched and the ridge fastened down with a sort of backbone about four inches thick and a foot broad. Out of this rose the chimney well plastered. Upon the hip of the roof to the right of the doorway grew a luxuriant plant of house leek to save the house from fire and the inmates from sore eyes. There was an ass's shoe nailed on the threshold to keep away the fairies and preserve the milk and on the lentel was cut a double triangle to guard the children from the evil eye.The inside was comfortable, the dresser was adorned with white-stained noggins and old-fashioned crockery. To the right of the doorway was the domicile of the pig and over him the roost for the hens. The rafters were jet black from the smoke and stuck here + there was the wheaten straw crosses of St Brigid also fishing rods, baskets, land-nets and night-lines.
