School: Valleymount
- Location:
- Valleymount, Co. Wicklow
- Teacher: Dll. Ó Cochláin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0917, Page 051
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- XML School: Valleymount
- XML Page 051
- XML “Stone-Cutting”
- XML “Thatching”
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- (continued from previous page)men who were working at it 100 or 150 years ago.
- This parish is noted for its thatched houses.
The thatching is carried out about the beginning of winter. The house is thatched with either rushes or straw.
There are expert thatchers. If the house is to be thatched with rushes the rushes are got in a bog or in a field.
They are cut with a scythe. When they are cut they are drawn home and put in a heap.
When the rushes are about a week in a heap they are pulled and into "fangles" that is little bundles of rushes about a handfull in each fangle the fangle is tied at one end.
Then the man who is going to thatch the house gets a long ladder and pulls it on the roof.
Then he goes up the ladder and pulls down some of the old thatch. When he has that work done he gets some of the new rushes and a thatching fork.
This thatching fork is about 1 1/2 feet long it has(continues on next page) - Collector
- Hugh Nolan
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Ballyknockan, Co. Wicklow
- Informant
- Mr J. Cullen
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 60
- Occupation
- Stone-cutter
- Address
- Ballyknockan, Co. Wicklow
