June/An t-Òg Mhios

June was the month for the churches’ summer communion season which coincided with the second Sunday of the month. Congregations were busy cleaning the churches inside and out. The first Tuesday after the communions was the traditional day for shearing the hoggs, wedders and the ewes without lamb. As people were coming from neighbouring townships in order to clip their stray sheep, it was another special day in the calendar for old friends to meet up. Everyone did their utmost in June to get the peats home - some by horse and cart, and others by tractor. After the Second World War, the horse and cart mode of transport was dying out. DAFS provided a service by hiring out a tractor to each township for all forms of agricultural work. Though this service was welcome, it meant you had to exercise patience as you awaited your turn. Those who could not avail of machinery might be compelled to leave their peats in the bog until wintertime and make up to three trips daily for fuel. Through time though, there was a grey petrol paraffin Ferguson tractor to be seen at almost every croft house in the district. And later still, every house had not just a tractor, but a trailer, plough, harrow and hay mower.

General repairs were done to byres, stables and the croft house.