My Experience of a Hedge School Teacher
About eighty years ago the older members of our family and I attended a school. It was a one roomed mud cabin where the hedge-school teacher resided. A woman named Elizo Kelly taught a class of over one hundred pupils. They were taught sitting outside in the shelter of the hedges. Eliza excelled in teaching Catechism which was the principal of education at the time. One time she prepared one hundred pupils for Confirmation in St. Mary’s Church in Drogheda. This school was held about a mile South of Drogheda at a place called Cailleac Loc. These schools were then broken up.
Told by Mrs Mc Donald, Julianstown aged 85 to Peggy Landy, Julianstown.
A Hedge School Master
Before the National School of Whitecross was opened in 1842, the children of the districts were taught by Thomas O’Brien who was one of the old hedge school teachers. He moved his school from place to place and taught under the shelter of the hedges. He used no black board and the children were taught to write on slates with a pencil. This man lived at Kennogue near Julianstown and was the great grandfather to the present generation with the name O’Brien. He taught both Irish and English and only returned when he was employed in 1842 as a national school teacher.
Given by Joe O’Brien, Kennogue to Lee Duffy, Claristown, Julianstown.
About eighty years ago the older members of our family and I attended a school. It was a one roomed mud cabin where the hedge-school teacher resided. A woman named Elizo Kelly taught a class of over one hundred pupils. They were taught sitting outside in the shelter of the hedges. Eliza excelled in teaching Catechism which was the principal of education at the time. One time she prepared one hundred pupils for Confirmation in St. Mary’s Church in Drogheda. This school was held about a mile South of Drogheda at a place called Cailleac Loc. These schools were then broken up.
Told by Mrs Mc Donald, Julianstown aged 85 to Peggy Landy, Julianstown.
A Hedge School Master
Before the National School of Whitecross was opened in 1842, the children of the districts were taught by Thomas O’Brien who was one of the old hedge school teachers. He moved his school from place to place and taught under the shelter of the hedges. He used no black board and the children were taught to write on slates with a pencil. This man lived at Kennogue near Julianstown and was the great grandfather to the present generation with the name O’Brien. He taught both Irish and English and only returned when he was employed in 1842 as a national school teacher.
Given by Joe O’Brien, Kennogue to Lee Duffy, Claristown, Julianstown.
Candle Making
In my childhood until I reached my ninth year the house was lighted by tallow dips and rush lights. The tallow candles were homemade. The tallow’s were melted into a mould into the centre of which the brick was laid. It was allowed to harden. The rush lights came next. The rushes were gathered by the banks of rivers and three parts of them removed leaving a small strip to support the pitch. They were thoroughly dried in the sun. Then they were drawn through a vessel called the grissel (which was a long shaped vessel with pointed ends) of boiling tallow or grease and then hung on lines to dry. The holder in which those lights were burned was usually a home-made wooden stand. About two and a half feet high, the top end of which was like the present day candlestick for the tallow dips. About a meter down from the top was a pliers like affair for holding the rush. This gripped the rush and as it burned down it was kept pushed by some member of the family until it was burned to the end. The women and the girls sat around this light knitting the wool which they had spun during the day.
By Mrs Mac Donald, Julianstown to Peggy Landy, Julianstown
Spinning and Quilting
Almost every home had a small spinning wheel with which they spun yarn and then wove it into coarse flannel. In the homes there was also a quilting frame which was about six feet by three feet. The cloth was laid on the frame and another frame was pressed down on this to keep the material in position. The women sat with their feet under the frame and did the quilting by hand. The quilting consisted of rows of hand sewing in a V shape about one inch short.
Told by Mrs McDonald aged 85 to Eileen Boylan, Julianstown
Almost every home had a small spinning wheel with which they spun yarn and then wove it into coarse flannel. In the homes there was also a quilting frame which was about six feet by three feet. The cloth was laid on the frame and another frame was pressed down on this to keep the material in position. The women sat with their feet under the frame and did the quilting by hand. The quilting consisted of rows of hand sewing in a V shape about one inch short.
Told by Mrs McDonald aged 85 to Eileen Boylan, Julianstown
Fashions For Boys 85 Years ago
The boys of my time wore home spun smocks until they were about fifteen years of age. They were turned out to work very young and their principle occupation was leading plough bullocks which was the chief mode of tilling at that time, and was done on a large scale. The pay the boys received was about four pence per day.
Told by Mrs McDonald Julianstown to Una Murtagh, Julianstown