The following chapters give an account of how life was in rural areas, during the last hundred years - how people lived, what they ate, how they worked and what they did for enjoyment. Times were often hard and there were none of the modern appliances and machinery that we know today.
In the old days people didn't have to wait for planning permission like they do today, when a new house was being constructed. A site was chosen, making sure that they weren't crossing a fairy path. It was strongly believed that to do so brought bad luck. . Generally, houses were thatched; some were slated, but it appears these belonged mostly to wealthy households. They were a single room in width - an extension in any other direction, it was believed, meant a future filled with bad luck. The size of the house varied but usually depended on how well off the family were. A farmer's house might have a kitchen, a parlour, two bedrooms and also a loft bedroom; whereas, a labourer's house might be smaller, having a kitchen and one or two bedrooms. Seamus O'Donnell was born in 1926 in Currakyle - a townland not far from Flagmount in East Clare. He was born to a farming family and they lived in a two-storey, slated house, with three rooms upstairs and three rooms downstairs. " At that time 76 families lived in Currakyle and of those, four or five families had two-storey houses; the rest would have been traditional one-storey thatched houses. In those days families were large with perhaps 10/12 people to a house. There would be 5/6 children in one settle bed and they slept heads to feet (butts and tops) with say 3 heads at the top and 3 at the bottom."
Furniture that was basic,
functional and sturdy was what was needed; elegance wasn't a necessary factor
and so the furniture of that time was often home-made. A good quality wooden
table and a number of sugán chairs; a kitchen dresser where the housewife displayed
her crockery - willow patterned delph, ornaments and maybe souvenirs given by
family members, would have been the main items of furniture in the kitchen.
The traditional dresser had 4/5 shelves above a closed or open cupboard. There
was also a "clevy" over the kitchen table in most houses. This consisted of
a number of shelves on the wall and usually would display delph. There was usually
a food-cupboard with closed louvre-style doors. Traditional forms of seating
were low stools and benches.
Also, the three-legged stool (stól trí chos) was a fireside favourite.
Rectangular boarded stools known as "forms" (pronounced "furrums" or "formí
" in Irish) were very popular. The sugán chairs had seats made from woven plaited
straw and sugán armchairs were often made to match and these would have been
placed beside the hearth.
Rushes played a vital role
in the domestic lives of the labouring class. At night, a few sheaves of rushes,
covered with a blanket, made a comfortable bed and a few sheaves, clumped together,
made quite a comfortable seat. A small bed-wing projecting out from one of the
side walls at the chimney-end of the kitchen was common; this area was called
the outshot or "cailleach" and here would have been the wall-bed built on a
wooden frame.
The very core of the Irish house was the kitchen and the hearth; the turf fire burning continuously day and night, throughout the year, symbolised family continuity and hospitality towards the stranger. The fire was the responsibility or "care" of the woman of the house. Her last duty before bed was to "smoor" it, so that it could be fanned into a blaze next morning; this was done by burying a live turf in the ashes, which retained a spark throughout the night. The Hearth consisted of the hob, the swinging crane and a deep ash-hole. Seats of wood or stone were often built in near the hearth and the wall behind the fire might be protected by a flagstone or have a built-up hob. Also, wooden "forms" were often placed against the walls perpendicular to the hearth. A simple and effective device for adjusting the height of the hanging-pot was the pot-hanger, which hooked on the arm of the crane. Food was cooked in three-legged cauldrons with embers placed on the lid; when cooking was being done in smaller pots, small piles of embers or "gríosach" were moved away from the main fire and the pots placed directly on them or on trivets. Soda bread was made in a pot-oven, which was a large flat-bottomed, three-legged pot with a handle for suspending it above the fire. When the pot had been put on the crane, glowing coals were heaped on the lid. There was usually a stone hearth-front, where bread was toasted. Kettles were usually heavy and black; they were cast iron and black from the fire.
In the old days, artificial
light was very rare and often the only source of light was the fire.
Later, candles were used by everyone for light and later again oil-lamps were
used. A variety of beautiful brass lamps with decorative globes were sold for
use in parlours, bedrooms and kitchens. For outdoor use and in sheds, less decorative
lamps were used. The storm lamp, which had a closed globe, was useful on dark
nights when farmers needed to go around the farm checking on livestock. Electricity
was practically unheard of in the early 20th century but this changed with the
setting up of the E.S.B. in 1927. However, it didn't arrive in East Clare until
the 1950's and life became much easier with its arrival.
The following is an article, which appeared in the Scariff notes of the Clare Champion on January 15th 1955.
To Get Electric Current: Electric current will come to parts of the parishes of Feakle, Scariff and Mountshannon in February. The new area will include Cooleenbridge, Coolagoree, Clonusker, Gurtaderra, Cappabane, Sheaun, Tubbernagoth, Middleline and Salernane.
In the past people were very self-sufficient and tillage was more widely practised than today. People were growing most of their own food, potatoes, vegetables and fruit. Most farmers had a few cows, pigs and poultry. They had their own supply of pork/bacon, eggs and milk. Very little was bought, mostly tea, sugar and flour. Meals were served at the same time every day. Breakfast would consist of porridge or stirabout made the night before and tea. Dinner was served at mid-day and this would consist of potatoes (colloquially known as "spuds"), meat and vegetables, then buttermilk or tea. The evening meal was served around 6p.m. in summertime, depending on the work being done it might be as late as 8p.m. or in winter as early as 4p.m. In winter this meal might be a fry-up with potato cakes, eggs and bacon but in summer it would be a lighter meal.
The potato played a very important part in the diet of the Irish people and in early times were often consumed in large quantities. Eaten with butter and buttermilk, they were the staple diet up to the 1930's and were consumed for every meal. "Prataí ar maidin, prataí ar nón agus ma eireann sa mhean oíche, prataí geobhainn".In spring ploughs were prepared for tilling and planting blades cleaned. Early potatoes should be planted before St. Patrick's Day, to be ready for June harvesting. A certain portion of each harvest was set aside for seed and minded carefully until the 'eyes' were developed. At planting time, family members would cut them into seed, making sure every piece had at least one eye - to insure growth when planted. This crop had to feed a large family for a whole year.
Pork and bacon also featured greatly in the diet and the pigs were fed on cabbages, potatoes, milk and oats and this gave good quality meat. Killing the pig took place once or twice per year. It was an important event on any farm because it marked the beginning of a regular meat supply for months to follow. Some farmers killed their own pigs but often the local butcher (búistéir) did the job.
A very important task of the housewife, was butter making. This was carried out in the coolest part of the kitchen, or in the dairy. Any food needing to be kept in a cool place was also kept here. Wooden pails or special metal milking cans were used for the milk. In the dairy the milk was poured into a large earthenware vessel, to cool. If there was a surplus of milk and butter, they were often sold fresh in the local village.
Seamus O'Donnell described
how butter was made.
"This was done in the dairy, which was usually attached to the house. It was
the woman's responsibility. The milk from the evenings milking was strained
and some kept. This was put into huge pans, 2ft. in diameter and six inches
deep, and left to set. Next morning another set of pans was used. Milk was often
scarce as farmers might only have 4-6 cows. Cabbage was given to the cows to
produce good milk. If you ran out of pans, the cream had to be skimmed by hand
into an urn or tub. Once a week a churn was made. In those day's candy came
in tin cans, about a gallon in size and these tins were used for milk. One of
these was half filled with cream. A piece of muslin cloth was put over the top,
and then the lid was fastened down securely; the can was then shaken vigorously.
A butter spade was used to squeeze out the buttermilk. Salt was sprinkled on
and mixed with the butter spades. The butter was shaped into a lump or balls
and was ready in less than an hour. A "dash" churn was 3ft. or more high and
made from wood. A long wooden handle with a circular head with holes was used
to pound the butter. Particles of the butter came through the holes. The skimmed
milk was taken off and fed to the calves. It was put on the pan and sold salted
or unsalted in large 15lb. tubs. Unsalted butter was used as a cure for colds.
It was boiled with milk and onions in a "muchael" (a metal saucepan with a long
handle). Apart from using butter on bread, it was also used for frying, it was
put on a boiled egg and a spoon of butter was sometimes put in a cup of tea.
So, it had many uses."
"A woman's place is in the home" - this was the traditional view. In the past, many parents felt that school education for girls was a waste of time; "she would be better off at home, learning housewifery from her mother", was the attitude. In those days, housewives had a tough life and were completely dependent on the men for money. In many cases the men had a bad attitude towards their wives, often withdrawing money from them. Women usually had large families and only a small minority worked outside the home. Later even when there was more employment for women, many opted to stay at home to raise their children. There was a lot of drudgery in their lives and the men didn't help with the household chores - it was "women's work". The housewife worked from dawn to dusk and there was a lot of truth in the old saying; "a woman's work is never done".
Another very important task for the housewife and equally as time consuming as the dairy work, was the laundry. Washing was only done once weekly and as there was no running water in those days, it was a lengthy process. Water often had to be drawn by donkey or horse and cart, from the nearest river or stream. It was also got from the well or a barrel or a hand pump in the yard. It was common practice amongst the poorer families, who had only one set of clothes, to have them washed during bath time Saturday night, and dried at the fire so as to be ready for wear on Sunday.
Flour bags were made of cotton in those days and had "Ranks Flour" written on the front in blue and red letters. The housewife boiled them in washing soda to get rid of the lettering. Then she made tea towels, tablecloths, sheets and sometimes shirts and underwear from them. At one time girls wore dresses with "shemies" underneath and big bloomers, with starched white pinafores, which opened down the back. They wore long black stockings, which were often hand-knitted and were held up with a piece of elastic called a "garter". Old clothes were repaired with old patches; if new cloth was used, it was too heavy and tore the old cloth quickly. Also old clothes were often put to good use in patchwork items such as, quilts and cushions Boys generally wore short trousers until their teens, also gansies (jumpers or sweaters) and an overcoat if they had one. Shoes were worn as little as possible, hob-nailed boots were worn in winter by both boys and girls.
Since 1927 it has been compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 14 to attend school. In rural areas it was common for children to stay in primary school until the age of 14 and then enter the workplace or get an apprenticeship. However, in many cases there were no jobs and farmer's sons went to work on the farm. Nearly every townland had its own primary school in the past. Schools were generally one big room with one fireplace. The students had to bring turf or timber for the fire or money to pay for fuel. There was a dry toilet, which may only have been cleaned twice per year. Schools had two or three teachers; one for the junior and senior infants, one for first, second and third classes and another for the older, fourth, fifth and sixth classes. Children were taught to read, write, count, add and subtract.
The Catholic Church has played a major role in shaping rural Ireland. One attended Mass and Communion every Sunday and Holy Day and Confession on Saturday once a month. Up to the 1820's churches were very small in size and people had to stand up, as there was no seating. After Catholic Emancipation in 1828/1829 bigger churches were built and it was around the 1880's before they started furnishing churches. The Mass was in Latin until Vatican Two (1962-1965) and was said with the priests back to the congregation and it was much longer. Those who didn't attend Mass regularly were prevailed upon to do so. At that time people had to fast 12 hours before receiving Holy Communion. It was common for families to recite the rosary at home every evening. All catholic homes had a Sacred Heart lamp, which was always alight. This was a red lamp with a wick and paraffin oil and later it was electric.
In the Ireland of the early 20th century, popular entertainment was very different than nowadays and the only form of home entertainment was the radio. During the 20's, the first national radio station was founded and at first it was called 2RN, but was soon changed to Radio Éireann. However, radios were expensive items and so took quite a while to become popular in Ireland. The first radios were the battery wireless, which operated on wet batteries and which would have to be recharged about every three weeks. In 1932 the Athlone transmitter was installed and this was a great boost to broadcasting as it made it possible to pick up Radio Éireann, in most parts of the country. . In the past the only people drinking in the pubs were mostly old men and on fair days the men met in the pub after selling some livestock. Women hardly ever entered a pub and when they did they went into the "snug" and had a soft drink or maybe a sherry. Young people just chatted and playacted and strolled along the roads and played pitch and toss which was a popular game. There were no cars or taxis to bring them into the town. When there was no T.V., no wireless and no electricity, people went to each other's houses chatting. People would walk across fields with a lantern or a candle in a jam-pot. On cuaird, people sat around telling ghost stories, fairy stories and some were afraid to go certain roads in case of fairies. Community halls were later erected in most parishes. A decline in rural populations and also church pressure brought about an end to house dances. Priests often declared off the altar that these dances were sinful and must cease. They were considered by the clergy to be immoral occasions of sin. In Scariff the Astor dance hall and Cinema opened in 1948 and dances ran from 8p.m. to 11p.m. and cost 4d (four old pence). Occasionally, three or four times a year, a dance ran until 3a.m. and at this you could get a supper for three shillings (3/-) and a pint for nine pence (9d). These dances were a great place for men and women to meet but again they met with the disapproval of the local priest and there are stories of couples being roused out of secluded spots by an irate priest.
People didn't get married
too young in those days and sometimes a man would wait for a sister to leave
the house or until the death of his parents to marry. It was common in the 1930's
for marriages to be arranged and many couples were matched, sometimes this could
take place on the fair day. If a man heard of a woman that would suit him with
a certain amount of land, he went about making the match even if he had never
seen the woman. They'd go to the girl's house and arrange what fortunes should
be given with her. A girl's dowry could be £100 or some livestock.
Apart from being a sad event wakes were huge social occasions, just as weddings
were. Stout was bought for the men and port wine for the women. Snuff might
be provided by the family of the dead person - this was passed around on a plate,
a pinch taken and snuffed, which caused a lot of sneezing. The wake usually
lasted all night and was attended by adults and children alike. The body was
taken to the church the next evening and burial took place the following day.
In the past many people
were very superstitious and there were customs and beliefs associated with every
aspect of life.
Superstitions connected with New Year's Day events were as follows: -
* "No ashes or dirty water should be thrown out as if it was thrown out, the
luck of the year would go out.
* The youngest boy in the house would go out, then come in and wish "A Happy
New Year" and eat a piece of sweetcake. Then he would get a tincan and bring
in water and every person in the house would drink a cup of it." As well as
it being unlucky for a woman to be first to enter a house it was also said:
-
* "It is a custom for no woman to visit another house on New Year's Day."
Ireland's economy struggled in the 1950's with severe housing shortages, high unemployment and a high level of emigration. When people emigrated they often never returned and never saw their families again. Sometimes, entire families abandoned their houses and many ruins of these can be seen today. They made new lives for themselves and met many other Irish people in the same situation. The population of many rural areas fell dramatically because of emigration and many schools closed as a result.
In the old days travel beyond one's own parish was rare. The only people travelling were usually those who emigrated to England or America to find work. Travelling for pleasure was not common, although shopping trips to Dublin or Limerick were known. These trips were however, very occasional. Such trips would have been the subject of discussion amongst the family and neighbours for days on end. People walked long distances then and thought nothing of it. They also got around by horse or donkey and cart or trap. The horse and cart was used mostly around the farm. The trap was used for family outings and had seating for six people; three facing three. It had an access through a door at the rear, which dipped down and had a metal step. It didn't have a cover so was open to the elements.
In the past, doctors were rarely called upon as people had their own methods of preventing and curing illness. Deaths from appendicitis were common and sickness especially in young children was often epidemic. The seventh son of a seventh son had cures, some for shingles and some people had their own medicines. If they weren't qualified doctors, they were called quacks. There were no vets either, so for the animals it was old cures also. Old Cures * Indian meal stirabout with buttermilk was great for ulcers or a weak stomach. * Cobwebs were used to stop bleeding * Linseed oil or butter was applied to burns. * Flax seed was used for a bad cut on the hand. The seeds were pressed to produce linseed oil and crushed meal residue was used to make poultices.
Even though personal hygiene wasn't very important in olden times, it seems that washing the feet at night has been traditional. There was a 'pishogue'connected to the careful disposing of "footwater"(that is, water in which the feet had been washed). It was believed that to leave such water indoors all night led to bad dreams. These dreams were said to be induced by evil spirits. Bathing the body in the May - morning dew was traditional in some places and if the face was washed in the dew, it was said to give a flawless complexion and to cure freckles.
The centre of outdoor activity was the farmyard. Here the hens were fed, the corn threshed, the horse yoked and farm foodstuffs prepared. It was central to the sheds and farmhouse. The different animals kept on the farm determined the amount of sheds on the farm. So, there may have been a pig-house, a shed for the donkey, a cow-byre, some sheds for calves of varying ages and probably a barn used as a cart-shed. The various types of poultry, hens, turkeys and geese were kept by every housewife and were her responsibility and would also have their own houses. The housewife kept the money she received for both eggs and poultry. Work on the farm went on all year round with ploughing in winter and later the farmer prepared for the harvest. The harvest itself started in summer with the haymaking and concluded with the Harvest Home (Meitheal) festivities. Groups of people got together in a meitheal to help each other with threshing, haymaking and turf cutting. The practice of mutual help was also called comharing.
Around February, the farmer
decided which fields were to be meadows. Later, in the spring he spread it with
farmyard manure. When the meadow was tall enough the farmer arranged to have
it cut, this was usually about mid-June. A neighbour or contractor did the mowing
if the farmer himself didn't have a scythe or a mowing machine. Once the hay
was cut into swaths it was left to dry for a couple of days and then it was
turned usually by the women and children using a fork, for drying on the other
side. Then it was shaken out and made into cockeens (cociní) and left to dry
further for a few more days. When it was fully dry the small cocks were shaken
out for a second time and built into proper field-cocks between 7/8 feet tall.
Cutting the hay in June was meant to be the best time when the grasses were
in flower as it left behind a good aftergrass. Traditionally the scythe was
the hay-cutting implement and later came the horse-drawn mowing machine.
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In spring it was time for the turf-cutting and as a good percentage of rural Ireland is covered in peatland, almost every farmer had a bank (portach) of peat to work on. To start with, the bank had to be opened up and this involved removing the top layer of tough, fibrous peat known as a "fum". The turf-cutter (sleadóir) needed to keep a straight line on the bank he was working on. The slane (sléan) was the traditional turf-cutting implement and the type used depended on the method of cutting whether vertical of horizontal. Women were really great workers in the bog and generally did the footing and turning. The children helped after school and on Saturdays.
A very important event in
the farmer's life, was the fair day and these were held once per month. He started
off early in the morning and brought any animals that he had for sale to the
nearest Market town. This often meant walking several miles with the animals.
Cattle drovers would walk there with up to 200 cattle. It was a great social
event as the farmer met his neighbours and also farmers from other parishes.
Much bargaining was involved with the buying and selling of the animals. Later
they would retire to the pub for refreshments and matchmaking often went on
over a few pints.
"I well recall the arguments
The fairest ever seen 'Tween the farmers and the stockmen And the local Go-Between,
And this man clenched the bargain With much slapping of the hand Of the seller
and the buyer; On his 'Word' the deed would stand."
From - The Fair Green of Scariff by Michael O'Gorman.
The following is an account of what it was like growing up in East Clare, from my childhood to my mid-teens, which was from the mid -1950's to 1970. My Family My parents were both born in East Clare and came from farming backgrounds as did their own parents before them. My father was born in 1910, one of a family of ten boys and six girls in Moynoe, Scariff. My mother was born in 1924 one of a family of three boys and three girls in Caherhurley, Bodyke. They moved to Fossabeg, Scariff following their marriage in 1953. They had two children, both born in Raheen Hospital, Tuamgraney, my brother was born in 1956 and I was born in 1954. My father worked in the local creamery in Scariff. Entertainment As young children my father told us stories by the fireside at night and I remember sitting on his lap while we sang songs together. As we got older the radio became more important and we listened to it more and more. Each evening there were serialised stories on for half an hour and I would rush to get my homework done so that I was allowed to listen to them. My favourites were "The Secret Garden" and "Lorna Doone". My parents liked to listen to some music programmes and I learned to waltz from them in our kitchen. "Céili House" was a traditional music programme, which they liked. Holidays My mother would take my brother and I to her aunt's house in Flagmount and sometimes to my Gran's for up to a week. Grand-aunt Celia lived in a lovely house on the shores of Lough Graney. My gran's house was a small, one-story house with a thatched roof and a single room in width. It had a porch at the front with windows on either side and a door leading in to the kitchen. Here there was a door on the right leading to a bedroom. Directly over this a few feet higher up on the wall, there was another door, which we always thought looked rather strange. This led to a loft bedroom, which was reached by a wooden ladder and this was kept behind the kitchen door until it was needed. On the left there was also a door and this led into the parlour, from which yet another door led into another bedroom. There was no such thing as a hallway, so the rooms led one into another and this was typical of this style of house. The kitchen had a large hearth and all the cooking and baking was done on the open fire. Baking and cooking was done in three-legged pots, which were hung on pot-hooks on the crane. I really loved the toast that my aunt made, holding it against the naked flame. She had a special toasting fork with two prongs and a long handle. Also in the kitchen was a strong wooden table and four sugán chairs. Over the table was a "clevy" on which my Gran's delph was displayed. An armchair stood on either side of the fire but my favourite place to sit was in the "hob". Here there was a stool right beside the fire and at night I could look up the chimney and see the stars and when it was quiet I could hear the crickets. Well, I was one of the lucky people to have a happy childhood. I enjoyed living in the country but went through a phase in my teens of thinking that the 'townies' were so lucky in where they lived. There have been many changes during the past years. By the time I was twenty, I was married and I had three sons. I still live in Scariff with my youngest son who is still at school. My older sons are both working locally and the eldest is married to a lovely girl from Cape Town in South Africa. They moved back here last summer having lived in Cape Town for a few years. Life goes on and is forever changing and so it should be lived to the fullest.