School: Wilkinstown (roll number 1917)

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1. Old Houses (continued)

   

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   was made of mortar and stones.
   Long ago a man lived in this district and he had no glass in the window of the kitchen, and when the night would come he would put a piece of a board in the hole.
   Long ago half-doors were very common in this district.
   The firewood which was used in olden times was turf and timber and sometimes people used the dry stumps of thistles for lighting the fire.
   The light which the people used long ago was from candles made from dry rushes. Long ago the people had a strange custom, if a piece of dry mortar fell from the wall above the fire-place, the person who would be sitting at the fire would have to say a certain amount of prayers, or if he did not the house would be knocked down by lightning in a months time.
   Another custom was when the people would be throwing the old thatch away they would gather it in a heap, then they would throw some holy water on it and set it on fire, if they did not do

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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

   Brendan Brady

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Arch Hall, Co. Meath

   Informant

   James Halford

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Wilkinstown, Co. Meath