School: Cill Dá Lua (B.)
- Location:
- Killaloe, Co. Clare
- Teacher: Mícheál Ó Loingsigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0587, Page 028
Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.
See copyright details.
DownloadOpen data
Available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
- XML School: Cill Dá Lua (B.)
- XML Page 028
- XML “Old Trades”
Note: We will soon deprecate our XML Application Programming Interface and a new, comprehensive JSON API will be made available. Keep an eye on our website for further details.
On this page
- There are many records of old trades, most of them now mere memories, in this locality.
Candles. Candles were first made in this locality from rushes which grow profusely along the river bank from Killaloe to Brian Boru's fort. 150 years ago the rushes were merely dried for several weeks, then tied closely together in bundles of six, stood in a hole in the floor, and lightly. Our teacher found that such a bundle dried and tied in such a manner would give a fair light for ten minutes. Later the single reed was steeped in sheep or big fat. A better and more lasting light was thus provided. About eighty years ago the fat was poured into the reed. Some of the reeds grow in the form of bamboo and these were cut into sections and filled with fat. This provided a much impaired light and was in use for a considerable period of years. In a fisherman's house the writer heard the expression, "As weak as a reed light." Soap. Thirty-five years ago the writer heard an old man say that home-made soap was made from(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Michael J. Lynch
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 43
- Informant
- Michael Lynch
- Relation
- Parent
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 91
- Address
- Killaloe, Co. Clare
