Donkey carts, milk sellers and turf cutters in Mayo town

By Auld Stock

IN an old issue of Castlebar Parish Magazine there is a wonderful picture of a donkey and cart parked outside Paddy Jennings’ footwear shop at the junction of Tucker Street and Newantrim Street.

The owner of the cart was Paddy Flannery, Newantrim/Sion Hill, Castlebar, one of the best known milk sellers in the area.

If every picture sells a story, then the photo of the donkey and cart is a symbol of the changing scene in Castlebar.

There are very few donkeys knocking around these days.

There was a time when every farmer in the country owned a donkey; a large breed of donkeys, known as Spanish asses, were a prized possession.

Johnny and Mickey Corley, Kilboyne, sold many an ass cart of turf when I was a young lad in McHale Road.

The price of a cart of turf in those days was 3s. 6. It was hard-earned money.

Turf saving was hard work in times past when cutting the peat with a sleán, footing, refooting and building the turf in clamps had to be carried out.

If you got a spell of wet weather the task of turf saving was made much more difficult.