Local Industries
There is an old water mill at Humphreystown Bridge. It was owned by Thomas Shannon. There is a wier above it to supply it with water. It was by this mill the people used to mill their wheat to make flour.
There is another old water mill at the Millbank. The Millbank is to the east of Blessington.
The mill-wheel was there until quite recently. For every barrel of grain they used to get one cwt back.
Long ago people used to make their own candles.
This is how they make them:- they used to peel the skin off a rush and dip the white part of the rush is grease until it is sufficiently thick.
Some of the old people used to spin and knit their own socks from their own wool. There is a woman in Lacken who knits and spins still.
There is a woollen mill in Ballymore and people used to bring wool to this mill to make blankets.
Some of these blankets are still to be seen.