School: Raskall
- Location:
- Raskill, Co. Cavan
- Teacher: Áine Nic Mhaoláin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0981, Page 250
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- XML “The Care of the Feet”
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- Long ago in ancient Ireland the people took care of the feet in a different manner to now a days. Old men and women went bare-footed as well as children. Whenever they got a stone-bruise they put a slice of fat bacon on it and allowed it to remain on it until it was ripe enough to be let go and this they did with a sterilized pin or needle.
Whenever they had a chilblain dipped it in paraffin oil. If they chanced to scald their foot they would rub soap, soda, or paraffin oil on the wounded part. There was no such thing as shoes long ago, clogs and nailed boots. Some poor people often went bare-footed to the chapel yard for to save their boots. At present the school-going children go bare-footed from the 1st May to the 1st October but the aged people never go bare-footed at all.
