School: Bán-Tír (B.) (roll number 2803)

On this page

1. Old Houses

   

   Share Share Post

   There are several ruins of old houses in this district, some over a hundred years old. The walls were of mud, and sometimes stones. No foundations except in a very wet place. The roof was thatched with heath, and they were supposed to be very warm. The windows were very small, and in the shape of an egg, and very often consisted of only one pane of glass. The floors were made of mud, trampled hard and made smooth, and level, from continual use. The houses of the poorer people were very small, consisting of only one room, and a kitchen. One chimney with a large open fire-place in the kitchen. When the fire needed blowing, the woman of the house did it with her apron, as the hand-bellows was not known in most places. A flint and steel were used to start the fire, and at night light was provided by thin sticks of bog-deal (called splinters) stuck in sods of turf to keep them upright. Almost every house had a half-door, and a settle bed in the kitchen, which was used as a seat by day, and a bed by night. The drinking cups were large timber vessels with three handles, passed round the table, the extra handles being useful for that purpose.

   

   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

   Paddy O' Callaghan

   Gender

   Male

   Informant

   John Cronin

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   75