Old Trades Lime Burning

transcribed at

Old Trades Lime Burning  [duchas:4349428]

Old Trades: - Lime Burning.

Long ago the old people used to burn lime. There used to be a certain man in every village for burning lime. It was a great custom in that time. First of all a man would dig a big hole in the ground about five feet wide and about five feet in height. Then a pole would be put down in the middle of the hole. Then they put a line of stones around the pole. Then they would put a line of turf around the pole over the stones. That would be done all the way up to the top. Then they would set the pole on fire.

That fire would be left burning about two days and two nights. There used to be hole left in the side of the kiln to lit out the air. When the stones and the turf were burned out it used to be taken out with a shovel and put into barrels.

There would be about forty

Old Trades Lime Burning  [duchas:4349429]

barrels of lime in one kiln. At that time lime was very cheap. You would get one barrel of lime for a shilling.

It used to be sold in barrels and in half barrels. When all the lime is taken out they start burning lime in again in the same lime kiln.

Written by: - Patrick Kelly: Lisduff.
Material from: - Peter McHugh: Lisduff.
Aged 60 years.