School: Séipéal na Carraige (roll number 5478)
- Location:
- Rockchapel, Co. Cork
- Teacher: Donncha Ó Géibheannaigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0351, Page 138
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- Until about twenty years ago the women in this parish made their own woollen thread from the wool of the sheep. At present there is only one woman in the district spinning wool and she is Mrs Nolan of Glounakeel.
In the month of May, the farmers washed the sheep in the river or stream. After some days when the wool was dry, they shore it off with the shears. The next few nights were spent combing the wool with the hands to take the knots out of it.
In every house they had a pair of cards. They were made of pieces of wood and short bits of wire tied on all over one side of them. The wool was carded with these cards. They held a card in each hand put some wool between them and worked the cards in and out several times to separate to the hairs of wool.
When the wool was all made fine with the cards, it was made into rolls, 10 or 12 inches long. They had a wheel called the Woollen Wheel. The rolls were spun on this wheel and woollen thread made of them. They warped the thread, kept sufficient at home to make stockings for the family and took the rest to the Weaver. He made it into flannel.
There was a tucking mill in Newcastle West. When the women wanted blankets they had(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Maggie Stack
- Gender
- Female
- Informant
- Mary Curtin
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Milleenduff, Co. Cork
