APHSource: FAS Scheme 1990s
Template
Landlords
Who was the landlord?
Did he reside there?
Religion
Which church did people attend?
Stations – were the children examined on their religion ?
– dues?
– mass paths?
Weddings – doweries etc. match making?
Wakes – laying out corpse, funeral from house?
Lisheens – babies, burial grounds, confirmation – examination of children?
churching of mothers, christening?
Confirmation – religious examination of children
Education
Which schools in this area? Local songs, stories or folklore?
Teachers?
Time off for harvesting?
Any hedge schools or travelling teachers?
Farming
Field names in this area?
Gardening?
Threshing – who owned the threshing mill?
Bogs – turf cutting? Where did people get their turf?
Did farmers bring hay or turf to the Galway markets?
Thatchers or Blacksmiths in your area?
Fairs
Tolls – who collected them and what was the money used for?’
Where was the best part of the town for selling the stock?
Where did the buyers come from?
Horse fairs and cattle fairs – were they separate originally?
Luck penny?
Pubs opening?
Fair Green – often talked about – why wasn’t there a Fair Green?
Bargaining?
What breed of cattle were most common?
Was it all cash payment?
Hiring fairs – Connemara people?
Old Landmarks
Any short cuts?
Any old names for bridges, turns, hills, etc?
Any Pishrogues?
Superstition?
Local Shops
Travelling shops ? Sheebeens?
Local Characters in your area
Your help with any of the above material will be greatly appreciated
Shantallow and Derrydonnell
Michael Commins
LANDLORDS.
The Landlord in this area was Vandeleur. Thomas C Vandeleur lived in the are (Moyvilla). He had three tenants and 198 acres
John (Jack) Mullins used to drive shorthorn cattle 5-6 years old and Aberdeen Angus to the fair in Moate, It would take about 3 days to walk them.
RELIGION
For First Communion and Confirmation the children were examined in the Church. In 1916 – Bill Freaney made his Confirmation and on the day, he went off with the I.R.A. rising.
WEDDINGS – DOURIES
Most weddings were match made sometimes they’d fall out over the dowry and there would be no wedding. A dowry was essential. The bride would not return home until the months visit it was considered unlucky to come before that.
WAKES
Two old women would lay out the corpse, and a local man would shave a male corpse. A saucer of snuff would be placed on the corpse – Young and old. would be snuffing and there would be plenty of clay pipes. There used be women for crying ag caoineadh. A straw rope would be plaited, and a knot would be put on the end of it. It would be soaked in water, and the people would sit around the kitchen in front of an open fire. The rope would be passed from one to another and in the process, they would hit you from the back while it would be going around.
LISHEENS
Babies were buried in the Lisheen and were classed as sacred ground and unlucky to interfere with.
Coldwood school at that time. It is knocked now and was near the existing school. Mairtin Treacy was teacher and his sister was teaching too. They lived in Castletuvin House.
TEACHERS
Last travelling teacher was a music and dancing teacher Mr. Hennesy was his name. Beard and large moustache. At a wedding one day he drank too much Guiness and he fell asleep. The good boys cut of one side of his moustache. He used always curl the ends of it before he would start playing. He twirled one side and then the other side was missing, he got vexed and went home leaving no music for the wedding.
FARMING
Not a great area for gardening. No field names.
Threshing Mill. First threshing machine engine and thresher mill were separate. The farmer changed each from Haggard to Haggard. It was run on Paraffin oil. The farmer had to winnow corn cained in the bags the minute the threshing was done.
Hazel and Ash, buy fong and strip for tying two flails together. The corn would be laid out on the floor in rows. To extract the corn you would bang the flail down against the corn and knock off the feed. You’d turn the corn and do the same. You’d collect the corn off the floor.
WINNOWING
Winnowing was done on a breezy day with a basin, you would let the corn flow off slowly out of the basin, you’d need a brath under it to collect the corn. The chaff would blow away and you’d be left with the corn.
THA TCHING
The farmer himself thatched the corn and stacks of hay with straw that was drawn for thatching and tied in bundles. The thatch was tied down to the stack with scallops pushed into the stack and continued around every 12″ – 8″. When you’d come to the top you’d tie the last bit pointed to give a finished look. Tadgh Oriorain from Lishyeen Kyle did most of the thatching around this area.
The local blacksmith was Martin O Leary and he was in Caherfinsker,.
HIRING FAIRS
Men and teenagers came from Connemara for doing the harvest work. They were dressed in Homespun tweed (spun by their wives) . They wore a bainin a modern cardigan without buttons, They had a spade coming left handed. Locals used a right handed one. They were excellent workers and spoke only Gaelic. Athenry was the hiring fare. They lined by the wall and the farmer had his choice. The farmer offered then the wage for the week and they would usually make a bargain. The Connermara man always bargained for fluich or tirm which meant he had to be paid wet or dry.
PISROGS
The pigs would be loaded for sale and the owner of the pigs would hide under the wall. He’d fire stones at the pigs to store away the bad luck. Anyone with that superstition the neighbours would be wary of bringing the pigs for them.
On St Brigids night Crosses would be made late in the night they’d pull a sheaf of corn of the stack and put it up under the rafters in the Kitchen. They’d pull the seed off it and mix it through the other seed when sowing the corn so that St Brigid would bless the crop.
CHURNING
If you called to a house where the woman was churning, you’d have to give a few turns of the handle for fear you’d bring the butter.
Some very superstitious old people if they were churning and the butter didn’t gather a red coal would be put under the churn and then the Our Father wound have to be said back ways.
