Here Tom tells us about the work that the women did:
It must be recorded that women worked equally as hard as the menfolk on the farm, in conjunction with the work of raising a family. They especially cared for the farm-yard animals.
Feeding Calves (0089)
Leitrim County Library
Leitrim County Library
A Woman Milking a Cow
Cows were hand milked into a can, which was held between the knees.
Image courtesy of Fáilte Ireland.A Woman Milking a Cow
Image courtesy of Fáilte Ireland.
Image courtesy of Fáilte Ireland.
A Woman Milking a Cow
Cows were hand milked into a can, which was held between the knees.
Image courtesy of Fáilte Ireland.Domestic duties included baking bread and making boiled or baked boxty, potato bread and pancakes. In the evenings, the women were kept busy with knitting and spinning.
During the days while the men did most of the hay collecting, the women were usually in with the animals and milking the cows. For women, the field work usually came second to the animals.