School: An Charraig Bheag, Carraig na Siúire

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1. How the Potatoes were Planted in this Parish

   

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   About forty years ago ploughs were not as plentiful as they are nowadays. The people were very industrious and lived for the most part on the produce of their farms. They did all of the work by their hands. When it was time to plant the potatoes they made a five or six sod ridge with spade and when the ridge was made they settled the sods into their places with a grufán. When they had this completed they cut the potatoes and put lime on them to poisin the insects know as thrawns which eat holes through the potatoes. Then he got a spade and a bag known as a máilín in which to carry the potatoes. Then he made a hole with the spade and put a sgiolán (as the cut potatoes were called) in each hole. They cut the potatoes leaving an eye in each hole [sgiolán].In some pieces there was no eye and these were not planted. These pieces are called “sliseóg.” Another man came along and closed in the holes with a mallet. Then they put manure on them, usually farm-yard manure. They dug the furrows and shovelled the clay on the manure. When the stalks appeared over the ground they dug the furrows again and put the second clay on them. It was an old tradition to plant them between

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. agriculture (~2,659)
            1. potatoes (~2,701)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Ned Hahessy

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Reatagh, Co. Waterford

   Informant

   Mrs Margaret Hayes

   Relation

   Parent

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Reatagh, Co. Waterford