Browne — Ethnography of the Mullet, Inishkea, 4* Portacloy. 621 



from plants growing in the district as formerly, but are imported. 

 There are several weavers in the district, and the clothes are made up 

 by a local tailor. One unusual occupation, that of cloth miller or 

 presser is carried on by a man in BelmuUet, who uses a rather primi- 

 tive press of his own construction. 



There is very little regiilar employment for labourers, except 

 that given by a few of the resident gentry and some of the people 

 of BelmuUet. Labourers receive Is. ^d. a day, or a Is. and their 

 food; if at harvest time, threshing or employed at cutting turf, 

 slightly more, about 2s. a day. 



Little or no work is done by the majority of the men during the 

 winter months, except to gather a little drift weed along the coast. 



The women attend to the ordinary duties of the house, assist at 

 field work and at bringing home turf ; they gather and dry carrageen 

 moss (^spJiaerococcus crispus) which they sell at the rate of 2s. a stone 

 (unbleached) ; they also card and spin the wool. Old women often 

 get employment going from house to house oiling, carding, and 

 spinning the wool for the hDusehold ; for this work they receive 

 2s. a week and their keep. 



2. Family Life and Chcstoms. — The general characters of family life 

 are much the same as those of the people of Inishbofin. 



The children, who are usually numerous, are sent to school, if 

 at all, at about five years of age ; they show plenty of aptness at 

 acquiidng knowledge, but as their attendance is very irregular, 

 through their being wanted at home to help their parents, their 

 progress is much impeded. When they reach the age of fourteen 

 or fifteen years they leave school and enter into the regular work 

 of the household until they have attained means either to marry 

 and settle down or to emigrate. 



Some few of the girls, after leaving school, go out as domestic 

 servants either in local situations or to England or Scotland. 



Both sexes usually marry young, the matches being arranged by 

 the parents, and money rather than romance being the chief element 

 in the case, as a projected marriage is often abandoned owing to 

 disputes between parents without the young people themselves being 

 consulted in the matter. Love-making, except in the case of engaged 

 couples, but seldom occurs, but that it does sometimes happen is 

 shown by the number and variety of love-charms and omens. As 

 in most other parts of Ireland the majority of marriages occur before 

 Shrove. When full agreements have been made by the parents, the 

 young man goes and asks the girl personally. If he be refused, he does 



