Turf cleat (turf stand), Knockmore, Clare Island.
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Unharvested scraw turf, Clare Island.
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Turf cleats (turf stands), Knockmore, Clare Island. Pat Ewen (Dublin) in picture.
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Stooks of oats, containing up to 20 sheaves, were carried by pony or ass to the haggard and made up into stacks of between 50 and 60 stooks. The stack rested on a circle of tree branches and stones about 1.50m in diameter and was built to a height of almost 3m. Furze (whin) thorns and, on occasion, sheep dip were added to the foundation to discourage rats. The stack was thatched with hay and rushes and roped with the eave of its conical top projecting about 150mm beyond the base.
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The hardy Connemara pony once provided the only means of transporting heavy load-stones, manure and harvested crops about the island. Almost every household kept a pony, generally a mare, as the sale of a foal was an added source of income. Unlike the donkey, the pony is a long-time inhabitant of the island. In 1900 there were 70 ponies and 26 asses kept on Clare Island. In 1925 these numbers had risen to 95 ponies and 69 asses but had dropped again to 46 and 59 respectively by 1960.
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