School: Árd-chill

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1. Threshing in Olden Times

   

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   Note. 1 I have heard my mother. Hate Ennis, Clarboy. (R.I.P.) (died July 1938 aged 72 years) mention several cases where girls did all the threshing work of the farm. These were girls about her own age. Necessity forced them to do this heavy work. They were girls whose fathers might be dead, in exile, or invalided, & they might have no brothers.

   2. Other cases mother often spoke of were men, who in order to provide for their children, threshed for a neighbour during the day, and threshed their own corn at night by the light of a lamp or candle.

   3. When threshers flailsmen came in after a day's work to our kitchen, mother always arranged stools before the turf-fire & saw that they sat with their backs to the fire as otherwise, she dreaded they might get cold in the back from the amount of sweat lost at the work. She had great sympathy for bent old men & told us that their weakness was the result of over-exertion at threshing and want of proper care afterwards.

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. agriculture (~2,659)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Annie Conlon

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Drumnalaragh, Co. Cavan