Old Houses - UCD Digital Library

Old Houses

Abstract: Story collected by a student at Dunboyne school (Dunboyne, Co. Meath) (no informant identified).

Original reference: 0688/3/28

Loading...School Dunboyne [Vol. 0688, Chapter 0003]

County The Schools' Manuscript Collection : County Meath Schools

transcribed at

 

Old Houses [duchas:4966685]

Old Houses

There are about twenty very old mud walled houses in this parish of Dunboyne.  The walls in these are very thick some of them are as thick as three feet.
The roofs are thatched just as they were eighty years ago. The kitchen floor in most is made of clay or was until lately.  The fire was on the hearth and wood was the fire in use with

Old Houses [duchas:4966686]

sometimes turf.
In nearby all there was a bed in the kitchen called the "Settle bed"
This was a sort of box on hinges and closed up during the day.  When opened for the night the bed was spread out on the floor of the box and though without springs was quite comfortable. 
On each side of the fire there was a "hurl" about six feet from the ground. Flax soap

Old Houses [duchas:4966687]

etc were left to dry there. Baking was done on a griddle pan or oven beside the fire on the hob.

Half doors are still common in the district.  Reilly's Hughe's Brady's Bourke's Kelly's and Dowdalls have half doors.

For light at night rush candles were used. The rushes were peeled but a small strip of skin was left at one side this was dipped in melted fat in a

Old Houses [duchas:4966688]

vessel called a "grisset".

Of course a large bundle of candles was necessary for the night

Origin information
Dunboyne, Co. Meath
Date created:
Type of Resource
text
Physical description
p. 118-121
Volume 0688
Note
Collected as part of the Schools' Folklore scheme, 1937-1938, under the supervision of teacher N.F. Ó Donncha.
Languages
English  
Genre
Folktale
Subject
Dwellings--Folklore
Residential buildings--An teach cónaithe
School location
DunboyneDún BúinneDunboyneDunboyneDunboyneMeath
Location
https://doi.org/10.7925/drs1.duchas_5107247
Location
University College Dublin. National Folklore Collection UCD .

Original reference: 0688/3/28

Suggested credit
"Old Houses"in "The Schools' Manuscript Collection," held by University College Dublin, National Folklore Collection UCD. © University College Dublin. Digital content by: Glenbeigh Records Management, published by UCD Library, University College Dublin <https://doi.org/10.7925/drs1.duchas_5107247>
Note
Collected as part of the Schools' Folklore scheme, 1937-1938, under the supervision of teacher N.F. Ó Donncha.
Funding
Supported by funding from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (Ireland), University College Dublin, and the National Folklore Foundation (Fondúireacht Bhéaloideas Éireann), 2014-2016.
Record source
Metadata creation date: 2014/2016 — Metadata created by Fiontar, Dublin City University, in collaboration with the National Folklore Collection UCD and UCD Library. Original Fiontar metadata converted into MODS by UCD Library.

Rights & Usage Conditions

Creative Commons License
Old Houses is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Copyright of the original resource: University College Dublin

To use for commercial purposes, please contact the National Folklore Collection, UCD - See: http://n2t.net/ark:/87925/h1cc0xm5