626 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



tlie to-wn, where they sit down by the roadside, and put on their boots 

 and stockings, taking them off again when starting for home. 



The old-fashioned frock or kilt-shaped garment, made of red or 

 grey homespun, and buttoned up the back, is still worn by boys up to 

 twelve years of age. 



The dress of the women is on the whole less changed than that 

 of the men. Many of the elderly women wear the white-frilled cap, 

 others have a small red kerchief tied under the chin. Over the 

 shoulders a shawl of tartan or other striking pattern is folded, but 

 this is not so frequently of a bright red, as in other districts, as the 

 darker colours seem to be more in favour ; beneath the shawl is a 

 boddice of some dark material. The petticoat is short, but is only 

 occasionally the typical red homespun of the western peasant. It 

 is often grey, or dyed purple, blue, or some other bright colour, and 

 is sometimes ornamented by a few rows of black braid. Aprons of 

 check are much worn, Many of the older women wear the heavy 

 blue cloak with cape and hood on Sundays and holidays. The younger 

 women to a large extent copy modern fashions on festive occasions, 

 but the result is not happy, as their taste in colours is curious, and 

 they certainly look better in native costume. 



A great variety of homespuns are made in the district, there being- 

 several weavers who turn out coarse flannel, tweeds, and friezes, 

 some of which are very good specimens of hand-loom work. The dyes 

 are nearly all imported, indigo and the made-up aniline dyes being 

 most used. Purple loosestrife {Lytlirmn salicaria), which was at one 

 time pretty generally employed for this purpose, is now only used for 

 dying stockings. 



5. Dwellings. — The habitations of the people present considerable 

 variety, some being extremely poor, others of a fairly good class. The 

 description given below applies solely to the houses of the people of 

 the rural parts, and not to BelmuUet (which is a cleanly and well- 

 built little town, composed almost entirely of good-slated houses of 

 two stories) nor to the houses of the proprietors or large holders. 



Of late years there has been much improvement in the style of 

 dwelling, but few indeed of the old turf cabins remain ; while the 

 semi-subterranean huts, some of which were inhabited in 1841, have 

 become altogether extinct. 



The Parliamentary Gazetteer (1846) describes the majority of 

 dwellings as being built partly of stone and partly of turf, and con- 

 sisting of only one or at most two rooms. 



An average dwelling now is built of stone, sometimes dry, at others 



