Fintan McDonagh

The late Fintan McDonagh was born in 1921 in Carrownagulta. He never knew his mother, as she died when he was very young. His father was a small farmer and Fintan remembers him cutting acres and acres of meadows with a scythe to make money after the death of his wife. He describes how the pig would be slaughtered on the farm when he was a child. The blood was used for the pudding and the bladder was used as a football. He remembers milking the cows and the daily practices on the farm. He talks about working in the mines, digging coal and how the rats warned you if there was danger around. Fintan discusses his love for greyhounds and how he trained and walked them for racing and he also recalls competing in races as a young lad, when he was a very good athlete. He ran mainly to earn money, as the prize for winning was £1. Towards the end of the recording he discusses the fairies and some of the superstitions surrounding them.