School: Caime (roll number 11380)

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1. Local Industries

   

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   14
   Local Industries
   Candle Making
   Long ago, the farmers used to make their own supply of candles in this district. When a sheep was killed the tallow was used to make them. The wicks were made of woollen thread. The tallow was first melted. The thread was cut to the required length and these were attached to a piece of stick. They were then dipped into the boiling tallow. These were lifted out and laid out to dry. When they were perfectly dry they were dipped again and so on until they were the right size. This way of making candles has died out completely during the last 50 years.

   Lime burning
   Another old industry was the burning of lime in kilns in the district around. The ruins of four or five of these kilns are to be seen up to the present day in this district. Before the lime is burnt it takes the form of big stones. These stones are called limestone and are first broken with a big hammer. Then a layer of coal is placed in the kiln and a layer of the broken limestone laid over it and then coal again and so on. Then they would set fire to the coal on the bottom and this would ignite all

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. trades and crafts (~4,680)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Mary Kirwan

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   12

   Address

   Monglass, Co. Wexford

   Informant

   Peter Kirwan

   Relation

   Grandparent

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Monglass, Co. Wexford