School: Ros Cré (B.) (roll number 1594)

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1. Linen-Making

   

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   On the road to Móin-na-hInse from Roscrea stands an old ivy covered building which was once the Roscrea Flax Factory. This factory was working until about forty years ago. It was in this factory that all the linen for the town was made.
   Each farmer grew an acre or so of flax - generally in marsh ground. When the time came for pulling the flax, it was pulled, and sent to the Flax Factory. In the factory it was steeped for six weeks in vats - six of which are still to be seen at the flax factory. Then it was scutched, that it to say that the flax was scraped and the green stuff was taken away and the long thin linen fibres were left. The green stuff, which was called the 'wash' was then given back to the farmer to feed the animals. The linen fibres were then spun into linen threads on a small spinning wheel and the threads were woven into linen. Then the linen was damped and left out under the sun to bleach. When it had dried it was damped again and so on until it was purely white. Then the linen was hand-sewn into shirts and other articles.

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

2. Roscrea Distillery

   

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   The Roscrea Distillery was owned by the same family who owned the

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Liam Maher

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Rosemary Street, Co. Tipperary

   Informant

   Miss Mary Scully

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Birchgrove, Co. Tipperary