School: Tomena

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1. Old Houses

   

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   The houses long ago were not like the houses that are now. There were no slated houses long ago
   The bed was always in the kitchen in the corner. It was called the '' hagg '' In places of Ireland that custom is still preserved. The chimneys were made of sticks covered with clay
   There were some houses that had no chimneys at all, just the place of one
   Some of the houses had windows with no glass.

   There were no floors but clay ones and to this day there are clay floors. People had always a half-door. It was always '' seeds '' that people burned, and for light at night they made rush candles from green rushes. Then they put grease on them and left them to dry. At night they left them on the hob stone to show light.
   Other people had no candles at all, they did with the light of the '' seed fire, '' anyone who was near a mill burned the seeds and anyone who was near a bog burned bog oak. Very few people burned any turf.
   The houses had only one room

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

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

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Maire Gilheany

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Drumcullion, Co. Cavan

   Informant

   Mrs Gilheany

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   70

   Occupation

   Farmer