School: Tobar Pádraig (roll number 4764)

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1. Old Houses

   

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   Old Houses.

   Thomas Boland, Patrickswell.

   The houses fifty years ago were not the same as the houses we have today. They were very small. They were all built of mud and stones mixed together, and the roofs were thatched. The people did not know anything about cement at that time. The windows were very small. There were two reasons for having small windows. The windows were taxed, which was one reason. At that time robbers were going about and the people were afraid for fear they would break in during the night.

   The houses were built so small at that time that the large families had to have one bed in the kitchen. The bed they kept in the kitchen was called a "settle" bed. It could be made into the shape of a box in the day, and a bed by night. It was made by a spring held on by hinges. It was placed near the wall.

   Some people had the fire place at the gable wall, and many of them had against the side wall. My grandfather told me that he often saw the fire in the middle of the floor. He also told me that some of the people had no chimneys. The smoke had to go out the door. The floors were made of mud. All the houses were thatched. They used to get rushes growing near the river, and use it for thatching the house. Wheaten straw was also used, but it was very dear.

   On account of the windows being so small the houses were badly lighted. This was the cause of giving the people bad sight. Half doors were common in the former times. There are still some half doors to be seen. There are some to be seen at the present day at the left hand side of this village.

   At that time coal was not in use, and the people did not know anything about it. Turf and wood were used for fire. I was told also

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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

   Thomas Boland

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Patrickswell, Co. Limerick