School: Béal Átha Fhinghín (B.)
- Location:
- Ballineen, Co. Cork
- Teacher: Beircheart Seártan
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0310, Page 216
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“They used to kill a cow for Christmas. They would have her maybe three months fattening on raw potatoes and cabbage and wheaten straw...”
(continued from previous page)until it became swollen. A string was tied around the neck then - a wheel string I saw used - and the point of the "Flames" was placed on the swollen vein. The "Flames" was then given a sharp blow of a tuairgín, and blood spurted from the vein. The cut was then shut up with the help of a pin, and a hair from the animal's tail.The meat was salted down and the tallow rendered. Some of the tallow was made into candles. Some was made into some sort of soap. There was no other soap going then. Some of it used to be sold too. The bones were boiled down and the oil got from them was kept in a bottle to rub to shoes. There was no boot polish going then. This oil kept the leather soft and waterproof.
A substitute for boot polish was made in this way. A fistful of straw was burned and the black cinder rubbed to the shoes.