School: Mághthobair (Mohober), Dúrlas Éile (roll number 7048)

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1. Old Crafts - Tanning of Leather

   

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   Leather was tanned years ago with the bark of an oak tree. The hides are first heaped for a certain length of time, about five or six months. Before being heaped it is steeped in lime. It is then taken up and tacked to a board and the hair is scraped off. The second process was done from the sap of the bark of the oak tree. This was done at Coady's and Dunphy's in Callan and the yards where they buried the skins were called tanyards. The holes were to be seen in the yards up to a few years ago.

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

2. Old Crafts - Thatching

   

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   Thatching is an important industry in this locality. Almost all the houses in the district are thatched including our own. The men that thatch houses are called thatchers. When our house was first built it was thatched by the late William McEvoy of Mohober and Peter Byrne of Callan, Co. Kilkenny.
   Wheaten straw is the best straw for thatching. It is drawn our of a rick and made into bundles called "Thatchers bundles". Thin hazel sticks called scollops are then cut with a billhook and they are brought into the house. The ladder is placed level along the roof of the house. The thatcher begins at the eve of the house and he works up to the top. The thatch is put in streaks each streak being about fourteen inches wide.

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. gníomhaíochtaí
      1. gníomhaíochtaí eacnamaíocha
         1. gnó agus ceird (~4,680)
            1. tuíodóireacht (~353)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Richard Hanrahan

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Móin an Fhainínigh, Co. Thiobraid Árann

   Informant

   John Mc Grath

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   33

   Address

   Móin an Fhainínigh, Co. Thiobraid Árann