School: Arklow (Mercy) Convent (An Charraig)

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1. Old Houses

   

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   The houses long ago were built of mud and stone. The roof was thatched. The houses were very small and the doors and windows were small. The doors were in two halves. The fires were on the floor. There was an open chimney. The floors were made of clay. There were not many rooms in the houses. There was a bed, called a settle bed, in the kitchen. This bed was covered over with boards and that was called a canopy. The front of the canopy was made of sally wattled plaited in and out through one another. Wood was burned in the fire. A bulrush dipped in tallow was used for light. The fires were lit with a piece of flint.

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

2. Old Houses

   

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   Houses long ago were quite different from what they are now. They were made of clay and covered with straw. The people lived almost entirely on potatoes and cabbage. They drank milk: sometimes they ate the flesh of animals. They never drank tea. They did not wear coats. Their beds were made of sticks. There was only one big bed for one family. They wore the same clothes night and day

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   Topics

   1. objects
      1. man-made structures
         1. buildings
            1. residential buildings (~2,723)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Joan Kavanagh

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Cooladangan, Co. Wicklow