Browne — Ethiiography of Carna and Mweenish, Connemara. 521 



kelp burning, and a good deal is still made here though prices are 

 smaller than they used to be some years ago. The price varies with 

 the quality of the kelp from about £1 10s. a ton to £4 10s. It sells 

 for a higher price in the spring than in autumn. A family makes 

 about four or five tons in a season. The implements used are those 

 described in a previous paper, but one not previously noted was 

 observed in this district — a wooden kelp-hook for gathering weed — 

 probably a sui'vival. 



Besides kelp burning the islanders and coast people fish both for home 

 use and for market. The people along the coast of the mainland take 

 lobsters which they dispose of for from five shillings to ten shillings 

 a dozen, according to season and quality. The lobster pots are made 

 from the osiers referred to above. The islanders fish for mackerel 

 and herring, for which they find a market at Aran and at Round- 

 stone. Some coarse fish is also caught, chiefly glassan and bream, and 

 roughly salted and dried for winter use. 



There is no regular employment for labourers, and there is little 

 or no migration of labourers from this district to England or Scotland. 



Trades are few, there are some village weavers and blacksmiths, 

 and a few boat builders. In connexion with the last named occupa- 

 tion it may be stated that we saw several excellent boats of local make, 

 including one ordered by the Congested Districts Board, and of 

 considerable size. When the wind is strong a wind screen of wood is 

 sometimes put up by boat-builders to prevent their work being upset 

 and boards being blown away. There are some good shops in the 

 village of Carna. The women's occupations are many and various ; 

 besides attending to household affairs, cooking, &c., they card and spin 

 the wool for the homespun clothing, keep fowl, the eggs -of which 

 they barter at the shops for groceries and other goods. They gather 

 carageen moss from the rocks at low water which they sell for sixpence 

 a stone (a stone can hardly be gathered by one woman between the 

 tides). Besides aU this they help in all field work, and carry on their 

 backs loads of sea- weed for manure, and of turf from the bogs inland 

 for fuel. During the winter months there is very little work of any 

 sort done with the exception of the making of drains. 



2. Family-life and Customs. — The life of the people is, as before 

 observed, somewhat similar to that of their neighbours of Gorumna and the 

 adjoining island, and theone description answers fairly well forboth, with 

 the exception that the struggle for existence does not appear to be quite 

 so severe in this district, though the poverty is still great. The 

 children of a household, usually numerous, have early to take part in 



