There are not many thatched houses in this district. They are getting less numerous every year. People building a new house put slates on it. Some people with thatched houses put galvanized iron on them because it is too hard to keep them thatched. A coat of thatch would last for about five years. If it was a thick coat it might hold a few years longer. Snow, frost, + birds, affect thatch & then it may not hold so long. Wheat straw is used for thatch in this district. They cannot thresh it with a machine. A machine would break the straw & it would be no good for thatch. The [sic] switch it with flails or beat it off some barrell. Then they put the straw into bundles. It is very dear to buy it. It is about £8 or £10 a ton. Scollops are made of light branches of a sally tree. They are cut short & pointed. Some people grow them themselves & more people buy them at 6/ a thousand. They are grown in a twig yard. A twig yard must be a very wet place. The big stem of the sally must be cut very near the ground. Then the stem will grow light limbs & these will make scollops.Bernie HughesSinéad Butler