School: Monaghan (Clochar Lughaidh) (roll number 359)

Location:
Muineachán, Co. Mhuineacháin
Teacher:
Sr. Irín
Browse
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0957, Page 035

Archival Reference

The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0957, Page 035

Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.

See copyright details.

Download

Open data

Available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

  1. XML School: Monaghan (Clochar Lughaidh)
  2. XML Page 035
  3. XML “Candles”

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

  1. Before the inventing of wax candles the ancient Irish made their own candles. To make these candles they put resin in a special vessel for the purpose called a cam. It was a square vessel with a handle on the side and three feet like a pot. The resin was first boiled with some fat in the cam The wick was either made of rags or rushes. The piece of rags was dipped in the mixture which they called tallow and then made round by rubbing it between the two hands. This was repeated until the candle was thick enough for use. To make rush candles they peeled the skins of the rushes and dipped them in the tallow until thick. Then they left it aside until it got dry and hard.
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Philomena Mc Kenna
    Gender
    Female
    Address
    Cúil Leatáite, Co. Mhuineacháin
    Informant
    Susan Murphy
    Gender
    Female
    Age
    75
    Address
    An Gort Mór Theas, Co. Mhuineacháin