Year: 2011

On our arrival at Coarse Clay Farm we were each given a big double sized sack. This was our mattress which we had to pack with straw. We were also given three blankets . From our trunks we took the sheets and pillows our caring mothers had packed. They had been well advised about all the things we would need by previous ‘tattie hokers’. So we also carried our own pottery, cutlery and table cloths (which were serviceable oil cloths the fashion of the day). Soon we had unpacked and set up our sleeping apartment, it looked like a hospital ward and the eating bothy like a canteen. We took pride in the appearance of our accommodation. We had one luxury – electricity.
On Our first evening the local policeman arrived and collected our permits. He brought them back the following afternoon and we had permission to stay three months in agricultural work. We were also given yellow identity cards. Our permits were also used to get ration cards. People with no settled address were given ration cards not books. We had permission three months but if anyone broke the law they were deported immediately. It did not take much for an Irishman to break the Scottish law. There were many Irishmen deported. At the end of three months we had to report to the police to get an extension to our permits.
On our first morning we were all tired and could have slept for hours on our straw mattress. Instead we heard our morning call. It was dawn and the forelady, as she was known, gage us the ‘shout’. The forelady was an older woman who did the bothy housekeeping and was paid Five shillings extra for the ‘shout’.
Out in the fields we dug the potatoes with potato grapes or diggers. This manual digging was called ‘hoking’. We worked in pairs one digging and one gathering. The young boy or girl that gathered had to wear what was called a .brath’ which was a rough potato sack opened and used around the body like an apron. On damp days the soil Stuck to the ‘brath’ and made it heavy and damp and uncomfortable. We were allowed ten minutes break in what was called a quarter and one hour for dinner. We were allowed our dinner hour when we worked four hours and this could be seven in the morning as we often started before three a.m. We worked for eight hours each day and usually finished early afternoon. After a snack on coming back to the bothy, we all went to bed until late afternoon when we gat up and had our main meal. The rest of the evening was free..
In the evenings we would mix with other squads who worked on neighbouring farms. We went to visit them or they came to There were many squads from Donegal. We found them friendly and entertaining people and great at Irish. Amongst them and ourselves were many musicians so the first thing we would do was to raise money for a melodeon or a violin. We would raffle a pack of cards or a bag of rationed sweets. We had many enjoyable evenings. We also had Saturday afternoon off which we used for going to our nearest town or village to shop and send our savings home to our families. We sent our savings by T.M.O (Telegraphic Money Orders). Because all the squads in Scotland and the seasonal workers in Lancashire sent their T.M.Os late on Saturday the Post offices in Achill were allowed to open on Sunday mornings to take their T.M.Os. When the money was sent we would say that ‘the money is all gone around by the lighthouse’. Our gaffer was a good man and made sure that the young ones always sent their money passed the lighthouse. He didn’t want them getting into bad habits while they were in his care.
We made friends with lots of people including local Scottish young people by attending their village halls and joining the Scottish dancing. We also made friends with many of the P.O.W.s (prisoners of war) who were sent from their camps to help on the farms.
German prisoners were all very young and never had enough to eat or never enough cigarettes. We often gave them our B.U. bread units (our bread ration). Working on the farm gave them a chance to steal coarse potato sacks which they made into slippers and sold. They once stole an old coat of mine and a few days later it was offered to me as a fine pair of slippers!
estants The Priest would curse them of the altar. One man went to work on the Protestant Church, at station time, people were asked to pay a half crown (two shillings and six pence), the man went up to pay his dues, he put his money on the table and told the priest where he got it, the Priest looked at him but he took the Ministers money anyway.

Penance that was put on a man if he got a girl into trouble (pregnant). He would have to go around the Church on top of Croagh Patrick so many times on his hands and knees, and say so many rosarys
How this penance was stopped was a man went to confessions and told the Priest he had got a girl into trouble and he said to the Priest he had if he had put the penance of the reek on him he would come back and make every girl in the place pregnant, that finished that penance. In those days people were not allowed to work for Protestants The Priest would curse them of the altar. One man went to work on the Protestant Church, at station time, people were asked to pay a half crown (two shillings and six pence), the man went up to pay his dues, he put his money on the table and told the priest where he got it, the Priest looked at him but he took the Ministers money anyway.

Night pastimes were knitting and spinning. The wool was bought in large hanks, enough to make two jumpers. The men would hold the hanks for winding.
The houses had flagged floors, the women used to put four pegs down in a square for the warp and weft.
The men wore flannel trousers they only had one pair and when they had that pair worn they would get another pair. People came from all over Achill and other areas to thicken the friez (material).
There was also a milling stone , it was used for grinding the oats. This was done at night and given to the people in famine times. They did this at night because the Catholics were not allowed food. If the British found out they would be thrown out of their homes. That’s why the land is as it is to-day a piece here and there.
Some families were thrown out and sent to Belmullet and old Pat Sweeney got them back. They would stay in the neighbours house until they got their own place
The people ate grass if they had a long wait for the boat that would come with food. The skipper was a man by the name of Pat McNeela from Derrens, he was a pirate. Some people died on the shore in Belfarsad and was buried there. The stones are there to mark the graves.
The Heffernan brothers made coffins for some of the famine victims. People are advised not to go to the shore at night.

Many of the young women one sees about Achill are undoubtedly handsome-one or two we saw would be called beauties in any country-and they have dark blue eyes, deep red hair perfect complexions, features, figure, and carriage. And then another charm has to be added: the voices of Achill men, women, and children are always low-pitched, softly modulated, and musical-rather remarkable characteristics when one considers the open air life they lead, and the windy, boisterous climate of the Island. But hard work and open-air life soon destroy boudoir-like beauty, leaving, however, always the graceful carriage and pleasant voice. The women’s dress of Achill consists of bodices, skirts, and shawls, hats and boots being more conspicuous by their absence. The colours affected are gorgeous. Reds of all shades, from that associated with the Post Office to the pale, washed-out tint; purple of the most deeply imperial to the salty; magentas and a colour called “puce” are likewise in vogue, as is also a vivid blue. Their blankets are home-made, of wool from the mountain sheep, and “natural wool” coloured. The woollen skirts are generally home-made, and dyed in various and locally fashionable shades with dyes purchased from Westport. The yellows and browns and a prevalent mustard colour for the men’s homespun are obtained by boiling a lichen which grows on the rocks at Kim Bay. On Sundays and festivals the better-to-do women wear the well known large, cover-all, Irish cloaks, generally deep blue in colour when going to or returning from mass.

I seen the Caiptín Ó Máille indeed and I remember the day as I do today, I was 14 or 15 years at the time. He was going on crutches when I seen him but he was a fine tall man. I seen him comin’up the Kildownet road (a village east of Achill Island) from lower Achill and he was on his way to Clare Island. He stopped for the night in the public house that was that time in Kildownet behind at the chapel, we all went in to see him because we heard so much about him before he was tellin’ stories about his life but I don’t remember any of the stories now. The house was full because all the village went in to see him. There is a new house now at the chapel (north side) and the public house was where the stable is now between the new house and the chapel. He was related to the O’Malleys of Clare Island and lower Achill. I never heard that he was married or that he had a family, maybe he was married he used to put out cargoes at Corrán. He had a whisker but indeed he seemed to be a fine man when he was young. The last cargo he brought was sunk at Poll na Ráite near Newport. They sunk her (the ship) themsel’ when they saw the revenue comin’and no escape. The name of the ship was “The Sloopeen Vaughan” and there was a song made about her,I knew it once but I’m afraid I won’t be able to say it now.

Mac Neela was from Lower Achill some people said but more said he was from Claggan (a place South Ballycroy). I b’lieve mesel’ he was from Claggan. He used to be with Páidín Bán(‘ac Cormac) sometimes but he used to be with the Caiptín Ó Máille most of the time. He was a great seaman and people used to say that was a better seaman than the Caiptín. Their ship would be drowned once only for Mac Neela. They were comin’from Flush with a cargo ,the wind favoured them all the way and they were six hours too soon or sooner than they thought . Mac Neela was on deck and he shouted that Sliab Mór was in sight and he called the Caiptín Ó Máille up to see it but he couldn’t ,he ordered Mac Neela down to get the supper and when he came up again Sliab Mór was plain to be seen, only for Mac Neela was on watch that time the the ship would be in smidhreens on the wild rocks at Achill Head.

My uncle Mathew was a smuggler and he used to bring tobacco and wine and other things from Flush(flushing). He used to be with Caiptín Ó Máille sometimes and sometimes with Paidin Ban ‘ac Cormaic. Páidín was a great a smuggler and he had a ship of his own and he used to have a man named Leneghan from Ballycroy, a first cousin of my mother’s with him and a man named MacNeela. I think Mac Neela was from Tóin Re Gaoit (A Townland between Malranny and Achill Sound) or Claggan in Ballycroy . Páidín himself was from Croc Maoilín in Ballycroy and he was a relation of my mother’s. They used to put their cargoes out at Tóin na Dúmaca (a place in Corraun) sometimes and they used to bring the stuff from there on horseback to Newpor, and in the country.old men used to bring a hundredweight of tobacco on their backs from Tóin na Dúmaca to Newport at night, I seen the men mesil’ an was talking ‘to them. (The distance from Tóin na Dúmaca to Newport is about 14 miles s.m.) Páidín Bán was drowned himself. He was a fine tall strong man and he used to wear brógaí go (de) leatar na Spáinneac up to his knees. There was a song composed about Páidín, I heard it often in Ballycroy.

My great-grandfather`s name was Micheal Gallagher and he lived in Corraun, in Áird (A village in Corraun) He had a son named Michael and that was my grandfather. My grandfather had three sons and one daughter at home, Mathew, Micheal and Tommy were the son’s and Alice was the daughter’s name. She married a man named Gibbons from outside Newport. My mother’s name was Leneghan, one of the Leneghan’s of Ballycroy, and my father’s name was Tommy. My grandfather had a place in Newport and it was the first slated house that was built in the town, It was in the main street on the right hand side going in from here ..He had a shop, along with the three uncles and one aunt I had at home, I had two uncles who went to America, I never saw them, I had two aunts in America too but they came home and got married. The two of them married two Henry’s from Erris, Alice married Pat Henry and Sarah married Dominick Henry, the two men first cousins
My eldest uncle Mathew got my grandfather’s place in Newport, he was a smuggler and he used to go to Flush (flushing) for tobacco and other things and selling them out here and in Newport. He was drowned coming home from Flush. Paidin Ban ‘ac Cormaic was a first cousin of my mother’s.