School: Carpenterstown (Templefanum) (roll number 5415)
- Location:
- Carpenterstown, Co. Westmeath
- Teacher: Mary Smyth
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0722, Page 137
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- In former times the fire was always placed on the hearth. Turf was used and sometimes wood. The turf was usually made of mud. Green scraws were often cut on the bog in Spring time and put at the back of the fire to save the turf.
There were no oil lamps to give light in olden times. Such candles as rush candles, tallow candles and bogdeal were used to give light. The rush candles were made from rushes cut in the bog and when dried they were dipped in tallow which was the grease of mutton. When the grease got hard round the rush the candle was ready for use. The candlestick in which the candle was placed was a long iron stand with a flat piece of wood on the bottom of it. On the top was a small pincers with which to hold the candle. This candlestock was always on the middle of the floor.
The tallow candles were made in the tanneries. They were made out of(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Eileen Shields
- Gender
- Female
- Informant
- Mrs Mc Guin
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 64
- Address
- Hilltown, Co. Westmeath
