628 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



though it may be put to the less innocent purpose of preparing malt 

 for poteen, and a spinning-wheel of the usual type. Por light at night 

 modern lamps are coming into use, but in many houses the " flare " is 

 used. It consists of a rude sconce, in which is fastened a cylindrical 

 reservoir for oil, closed at the top by a lid, and having a spout like 

 that of a coSee-pot, through which the wick is drawn. Eush lights 

 are still used by some. 



The house is often whitewashed outside ; the roof is thatch, of 

 straw in most localities, but on the islands, and some places in the 

 peninsula, bent is use instead. This is laid on over " scraws " of grass- 

 turf and fastened down by sougans (straw ropes), the ends of which 

 may be attached to pegs driven into the walls, or have long pieces of 

 wood or heavy stones fastened to them. These ropes are often arranged 

 in a net work so as to hold the thatch more securely. Coir rope, bought 

 in Belmullet, is now used by some instead of sougans. The gable is 

 stepped or cut away so that the thatch does not project over the end wall. 



There are several other types of houses, though the style just 

 described is the most common. Most of the newer houses and those 

 building have chimneys, pig-styes of turf or stone, and in some cases 

 byres. Few of the old one-roomed dwellings, built partly or alto- 

 gether of turf, are still to be seen, but there are a number of one- 

 roomed huts of stone, many of which have no windows. 



The most primitive habitations in the district, and perhaps in 

 Ireland, are the rude huts (hoolies) on Inishglora, inhabited during the 

 lobster fishing season by the men of Inishkea ; they are about a dozen 

 in number, rudely built of dry stone and thatched with "scraws." 

 There is not room to stand upright in them, the height from floor to 

 roof being about 5 feet. Internally they contain a rude bunk filled with 

 straw for sleeping in and a few large stones to sit upon. Cooking 

 appears to be done out of doors. Successive batches of men live in 

 these huts for about three months of the year. Some of the poorest 

 houses on the mainland are in the isolated and primitive village of 

 Tallmore, where few of the dwellings have windows and few or none 

 chimneys. The houses on the islands are decidedly among the best in 

 the district. Many are whitewashed inside, and the furniture is of a 

 superior class, abundant material being thrown up as drift wood. The 

 beds are four-posted structures, with flat board tops, and some of them 

 have bright-coloured curtains, and the bedding is clean aud tidy- 

 looking. 



6. Transport. — Lying as it does far from towns of any size, and 

 separated from the nearest by a wide stretch of wild and thinly- 



