National Folklore Collection Bawnboy Templeport Sweat Houses

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0969

Sweat Houses

The story on this page has been taken from the Dúchas web site, page http://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/5044804/5040236 and pages following. An image of the original manuscript can be viewed on the Dúchas page as well as more detailed information about the informant and recorder of the story.
The numbers on the left are original page numbers and are for researchers wishing to find the original page.

Copyright and licence information appears at the bottom of this page.

Page 077
1 Sweat houses were common in this district. There was a sweat house for every nine townlands. There are remains of one in Derrycleggnan in Montiagh and in Caldra in the parish of Kinawley

They were built of stone round in shape and without either windows or doors only a small opening was left to crawl through. A big turf fire was lighted. When the smoke cleared away the person went in and stayed inside for 1/2 an hour in intense heat and bathed in perspiration.

2 The sweat house in the townland of Caldra in the parish of Kinawley was built in a place called Gob. It was built of what are locally called ''flags'' and roofed with flags and sods and was air tight

P 078
A big fire of turf was made on the floor - usually four loads of turf were used for this fire.
When the place was sufficiently hot the fire was let burn down. Rushes were laid on the floor.
The person suffering from pains went in and lay down there for 1/2 an hour
or an hour. He or she then put on heavy warm clothes and went home.

Collector: Mr Edward Anderson
Address: Greaghnafine
Informant: Mr Owen McGovern
Age 50
Address 59841
School Uragh (C.)
Location Uragh, Co. Cavan
Teacher E. McCaffrey

End.

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Thanks to Bernadette McGovern who transcribed this and a great many other pages of the The Schools' Collection, from the National Folklore Collection Archives.

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