School: Broadford
- Location:
- Broadford, Co. Clare
- Teacher: M. Fitzpatrick
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0585, Page 267
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- About a hundred years ago, all the Irish boys and girls wore no boots until they were about eighteen or twenty years of age. If they got a prod of a stone it would have no effect on them. This was all due to their very hard feet. They only wore boots going to Mass on Sundays and because boots got so little hardship a pair would do for years. They were very cheap because they tanned dog skins and made boots out of them. Even if the men were out digging or mowing they wore no boots. Some people wore clogs to keep their feet warm. These were boots with timber soles and an iron tip nailed onto it and leather uppers. Nowadays once a child is able to walk he wears boots in Summer. We have no shoemaker in this locality but there are two shoemakers in the parish of O'Callaghan's Mills. There is a great opening for a shoemaker in Bradford.
About one hundred years ago there was a tannery situated near the chapel of Broadford and it was owned by the Purcells. The people of this parish used to bring skins to this tannery.
