The O’Connors were hill-farmers in the Glen area for many generations and this interview took place by the shores of Carragh Lake. Dan spoke about the local place names and their meanings and interestingly, on his ancestral land, there was a quarry which was used for the construction of most of the roads in the area. There was mention of the black mule, which carted loads of stones from the quarry to Killorglin each day. Dan also told me about the drawing of rocks across the lake for the building of houses in the second half of the nineteenth century. We walked the short distance to the old family cottage, high up in the hills, where he pointed out some of the houses of the landed gentry, and spoke about their way of life. He also pointed out another O’Connor home in the distance and strongly recommended that I go there to collect more information about the area.
Keywords: Carragh Lake, rural life, quarrying, 1940s, 1950s, vernacular buildings
