School: Achadh Dúin, An Sciobairín (roll number 16149)

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1. Old Houses

   

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   One night last year I heard Dan Lynch of Letterscanlan telling a story about the kind of houses that the people had long ago. They were made of stone and the walls were at least eighteen inches thick so that any rain or dampness could not get through them.
   The roofs were thatched, some of the wealthier folk had them slated. The floors were made of clay. Some people had only one room in the kitchen. A small hole in the wall was their window. In bad weather they kept this stuffed with rags, and paper, and in fine weather they took out the paper and rags so as to give them light.
   The people made candles of their own as it was the only kind of light they could afford. They made them with fat and poured the tallow into a shape, and ran a string through it hardened after a while and they were able to use it as a candle. They only lit candles seldom as the vir which they got in the bog sent a glowing light round the kitchen.
   When they went "sgoireacting" they took a sod of turf which was left behind the fire, and turned a couple of times till the fire got into it. This they held with an instrument like a tongs to light them over the hillside paths. These often fell asunder and left them wandering over the hillside. They are not as safe as the lanterns of to day. Sometimes they blamed Jack o' the lantern for leading them astray. The only way they would get the better of him was by turning their

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. objects
      1. man-made structures
         1. buildings
            1. residential buildings (~2,723)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Evelyn Brookes

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Letterscanlan, Co. Cork

   Informant

   Dan Lynch

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   70

   Address

   Letterscanlan, Co. Cork