School: Crosserlough
- Location:
- Crosserlough, Co. Cavan
- Teacher: L. Reilly
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0993, Page 296
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- XML School: Crosserlough
- XML Page 296
- XML “Thatching”
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- Thatching > 7.1.1938
A thatcher thatches house that are roofed with straw or rushes.
He uses straw, a ladder, a stopple, a hand rake, and scollops.
A stopple is an instrument made of steel or iron.
It is about ten or twelve inches long. The top of this stopple is shaped like a v, and it is stuck into a handle which is about six inches long.
The stopple is used for putting the handfuls of straw in to the old thatch.
Scollops are sally rods or briars with sharp ends and shaped like a v.
When a house is about to be thatched the straw is shaken out and put in a heap and weights are put on it.
A man pulls the straw and puts it in bundles about the size of sheaves of oats.
When the man has the straw pulled and tied he carries up the bundles to the thatcher on the roof.
The thatcher then opens a bundle and takes out a handful of straw and ties it at the top with a few straws of the handful and puts it into the old thatch by means of the stopple.(continues on next page)
