School: Banahoe

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1. The Firkin

   

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   Long ago the people used firkins for conveying their butter to the market. These firkins were made by a man called the cooper. He had the trade of making wooden vessels only. They were made from ash or oak. Most of the people preferred to have their firkins made from ash, because when they brought them to the market the firkin and butter were weighed together and from the amount of pounds which it weighed, three of them were stopped for the weight of the ash firkin itself, while four were kept for the weight of the oak firkin. These firkin’s were hooped with Sally rods, but later on the people were ordered to have their firkins hooped with ash as it was by far the nicer and cleaner.
   Many of the old firkin coopers are still alive. One of them, still a young man resides at Derrylahan, between Crosskeys and Ballyjamesduff. He has no work to do now of course, but he has preserved all the tools and implements used in his trade.

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. trades and crafts (~4,680)
         2. agriculture (~2,659)

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Charles Conaty

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   67

   Address

   Cargagh, Co. Cavan