School: Balrath (1) (roll number 9770)
- Location:
- Balrath, Co. Westmeath
- Teacher: C. Ní Pharthaláin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0719, Page 244
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- Long ago the people used to light their houses with rushes. The used to peel them and put in a pot made of metal called a grisset. They were greased and left out to dry. The candlestick was made of wood with a round boss and a catch on the top of it to hold it stiff.
When the people used to light their houses with rushes which grew in tufts, in the bog, the candlestick was made of wood with a round boss to sit on the ground. There was a stick about two ft. long with a catch on it like a pincers to hold the rush stiff. There was a little trough in which the rushes were put to dry after being taken out of the grisset.
In days gone by when the old women used to wear linen caps, they used tally-irons to curl the borders of them. The tally-(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Patrick Dolan
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Castletown, Co. Westmeath
- Informant
- Kate Fagan
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Castletown, Co. Westmeath
