Old Houses

transcribed at

Old Houses  [duchas:4377025]

In former times low cabins were used and generally only one room in them. The walls were made of clay and cut up straw, mixed together with water.
This mud was used to build the walls which were only about five feet high. The doors were very, and one had always to bend one's head to get inside.
  The roof was made of Gabhlóg

Old Houses  [duchas:4377026]

that is one piece of stick was laid into the forked end of another piece of stick , and then tied together with sugáns at the top.
These crossed sticks formed the foundation of the sort of thatch with was put up.
   The thatch was made of heather gathered on the mountains, and mixed with straw. A tiny window about six inches square was put into one of the walls midways between the door and the fireplace.
     In these little one roomed house there were sometimes two beds, one of them was a settle bed. It could be closed in during the day to make a seat and opened at night  to form a bed.
       The whole family used to sleep in these two beds, while the children were young.
When the children were getting older, a 'fall' of straw would be placed here and there on the floor , and the sleeper would lie on these and cover themselves with old clothes or bags , or pieces of blankets

Old Houses  [duchas:4377027]

The fireplace was always placed at the gable wall, but in the very poor house, the fire used be made in the corner and then a bottomless bucket used to be stuck out through the thatch, to let out the smoke.
   The other chimneys were made either of clay and stones or clay and wattles. In some of the houses there was no window, and the only light came through the door.
   Around this district there is a half-door to every farmers kitchen.
     Turf was, and is still used and  no one dare use wood in older times it was the landlords.
   To have light at night a small bottle was got, and it was half-filled with paraffin oil, and a piece of tin which would fit the neck of the bottle, was wound round the tape an inch of the tape came above the neck of the bottle.
    When this top portion of tape got burned, the taper could again be pulled up and this gave a nice light to the small house. This light was called a pádóg.
      Bog deal splinters were also used. The people used to go to the bog and cut these bog deals in long splinters dry them well near the fire, and then when they were required they would be fixed a little out from the

Old Houses  [duchas:4377028]

wall and lighted at night and  they gave a nice night light.
 It is by these lights , the scholars studied their lessons.
     `it was usual to gather these bog deal splinters in the summer and have them ready for the winter evenings.
      Candles were made in this district .Lard or fat was got from the animals and it was then melted.
Moulds were kept in the houses. These moulds were made of lead and were the shape of a  candle . At the end of the mould there was a very small hole and at the other end there was a large hole.
A thread of a wick was fixed into the centre of the mould and drawn from the large hole down into the small hole thus .-0-------|-(see diagram  in original)
The hot melted fat was then poured  into this mould and left cool, and then the shaped candle was shaken out of these moulds. 
    These candles were  made during the summer to have them ready to use in winter.