School: Drumraney (roll number 13571)
- Location:
- Drumraney, Co. Westmeath
- Teachers: Ml Mc Garry Alice Mc Garry
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0747, Page 553
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- There was an industry carried on in this parish about ninety years ago called mail-making. The people used to bring a blade of an old scythe to the person that made the mails. There was a man in this parish called Edward Keegan who lived in Ardnagrath. He was a blacksmith and he was good for making articles out of iron. The people used bring him a blue duck egg for every scythe blade he converted into leather mails as payment for the work. This man is dead now but his son James Keegan still works at the forge.
- Long ago candles were made of rushes and tallow, and every body made them for his own use. First the rushes would be got and pared. There was a small vessel it was boat shaped, this vessel was called a mould. The mould was used for melting the tallow. The tallow was got from the fat of animals. The tallow was put into the mould and left over the fire until it was melted. Then the rushes were dipped into the tallow, and afterwards left out in a heap to dry. When the candles were to be used, they were stuck down in a stand and the stand was put on a sod of turf. That is how the candles were made and used long ago.
- Collector
- Maire Mc Garry
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Ardnagragh, Co. Westmeath
- Informant
- Patrick Mullen
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 60
- Occupation
- Farmer
- Address
- Ardnagragh, Co. Westmeath
