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| The land within Kilkeedy parish is quite unusual as you will find the finest of tillage and grazing land side by side with the Burren's rocky landscape. There is a long tradition of farming in our area. Records from the 1850's show the Griffith's Valuation was taken all over the country. This was a study to find out what rents were to be paid by tenants on farmlands. Below is a list comparing the average land valuation per acre of a selection of town lands in the parish. |
Valuation of Land 8 to 9 shillings per acre Shanballysallagh 5 to 6 shillings per acre Castlequarter 2 to 3 shillings per acre Ballyeighter |
Traditionally a sickle was used to cut corn. An armful of corn was held in the left hand and cut with the right hand. About 6 or 7 armfuls were put together to form a sheaf and this was tied with a handful of corn stalks. The sheaves were put standing up to dry them. They were propped together in pairs. Three pairs were put together in a "stook". |
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| In later years the corn was cut with a binder. The proper name for a binder was a "reaper and binder" because it cut the corn and bound the sheaves. These had been two separate jobs before the binder was used. The binder was pulled by a pair of horses. There was a large wheel with beaters that directed the corn onto the blade. When it was cut it passed along canvass belts and was tied into sheaves. The sheaves were thrown out the side of the binder. People came behind the binder to put the sheaves standing in stooks. Milled wheat was used for making bread. Milled wheat was ground into flour between two querns. These querns are made from hard limestone. |
Haymaking In the past the faithful horses on farms pulled the machinery to cut and turn the hay. When the hay was "saved" it was piled into small cocks around the field. A rake was used to collect stray tufts of hay and to rake the cocks. Farmers helped each other to make a large cock of hay from the smaller cocks and it was fed to the livestock during the winter. How different it is today! Haymaking has practically vanished and has been replaced instead by round plastic coated bales of silage. The reason being the absence of help on farms and of course modern technology in new farming methods. |
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| Fair Day Cattle and sheep were sold at fairs before marts were established. The two fair days in our locality were the 12th of July and the 20th of September. It was held in a field close to the old post-office in Tubber. These were great occasions and are recounted in folklore: Children had a holiday from school and huge crowds were in attendance. The fair often ended in a fight between groups of men in what was deemed a "faction fight". Men carried blackthorn sticks with them around the fair. Those that did not carry the blackthorn carried a "leaden butt", made out of the handle of a whip up their sleeve so it was unknown that they had it until the fighting broke out. If they were unsuccessful in starting the argument by arguing, one of the faction would drag his coat along the ground and road "Who'll stand on the tail of my coat?" A leader of the opposing faction would hop onto the tail of the coat and then the fighting would start with the factions driving one another up and down the road. A man named Mr. Pollock would gather up all the cattle and buy and sell them. People made pens in the fair field the previous day in preparation. Sheep and lambs were the most common animal sold. Deal making was complicated, often being carried out by an intermediary. Porter, pigs crubeens and loaves of bread called "grinders" were sold from tents where "luck" money changed hands, a custom whereby the seller returns a small amount of the money from the sale to the buyer for luck. |
| Bringing milk to the creamery was introduced in the 1950's to replace the production of butter in the home. |
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| Turf Cutting We have seen already the importance of the open fire in our grandparent's time. This fire was fuelled by turf and sticks. In our area there is a lot of bog land where the turf was cut from using a slean. |
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Once cut the turf was footed and left to dry and taken home by donkey and cart to warm the hearths on cold winter nights. |
| In conclusion many of these practices have been replaced by modern technology but nevertheless agriculture is still the mainstay of the people in our locality. However in recent times changes have occurred where agriculture is not the sole source of income many people are subsidising their income with a part-time job. |
