School: Baile an Gharrdha (B.) (roll number 13210)
- Location:
- Baile an Gharraí, Co. Thiobraid Árann
- Teacher: Tomás Lotrail
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0563, Page 214
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- In olden times the houses were thatched with straw or sedge. There were some roofed with sods. The rushes or sedge weed used to be cut in a wet field and left to dry. Then the short sedge used to be drawn from the long sedge or the thatching could not be done properly. The old houses used to have a settle-bed in the kitchen near the fire. It was used as a seat or table during the day. The fire-place used to be always at the gable wall or in bigger houses at the middle wall. Some houses had no chimney only a hole in the roof to let out the smoke. The old houses had no glass in the windows. The windows used to be very small and were always in the front of the house. People used to put bags in the windows at night and some people had shutters. Half-doors were very common in the district up to twenty years ago and a good many farmers and shop-keepers have them yet. They are very useful for keeping out fowl and dogs, and at the same time letting in fresh air and light. Coal, culm were mostly used in this district for firing and sometimes "bowshawns" or dried cow-dungs were used. Candles and "dips" were used to give light at night. The "dips" were used by the people going to bed or(continues on next page)
