1. dúchas.ie
  2. The Schools' Collection
  3. Gallen

School: Gallen

Location:
Gallen, Co. Offaly
Teacher:
T.R. Goodwin
Browse
Mode:
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0816, Page 178

Archival Reference

The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0816, Page 178

Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.

See copyright details.

Download

Open data

Available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

  1. XML School: Gallen
  2. XML Page 178
  3. XML “Old Crafts - Brickmaking”

Note: We will soon deprecate our XML Application Programming Interface and a new, comprehensive JSON API will be made available. Keep an eye on our website for further details.

On this page

  1. Old Crafts - Brickmaking

    Share Share Post
    Brick-making is a very important industry carried on in the townland of Falsk, about a mile (in mr) from my house, and many men are employed at it. It is an old local craft and was carried on in my great grandfathers time just the same as it is today.
    Bricks are made from blue clay which is to be found under the lowest layer of turf. This clay is dug in the beginning of March and it is mixed with a certain amount of bog-mould. Then it is left under the weather until the turf later on for burning is cut. In April the clay is "sheared." that is it is chopped into a fine state and mixed with water.
    When all is sheared, it is shovelled to the other end of the clay pit more water is added while doing so, and it is made into a soft mass like putty. This operation is called "souring". The clay is now ready for use. Then it is thrown up out of the pit on to a wooden platform. This is called "banking".
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    History Edit
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Kitty Dolan
    Gender
    Female
    Address
    Noggusboy, Co. Offaly
    Informant
    Mr Patrick Dolan
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Noggusboy, Co. Offaly