SNIPPET: "In our village of Treanoughter there were nine houses. We were the first house as you entered by road. If you happened to come across the hills then the first abode that greeted the eye was DURKIN's. Three sisters lived here with their brother. They were all unmarried and they all looked the same age - ancient. The sisters' mode of dress had not changed since the beginning of the century; long, calico-like skirts, usually black with dark, long-sleeved blouses, hand-made of course. Around the house they wore knitted shawls, but for outdoor wear it was a heavy, tasselled shawl that was worn over the head and wrapped around the upper part of the body. Their footwear was also from the past; high, brogue-type boots laced around little buttons, eyelets they called them, that reached midway up the calf of the leg and were hand-made by their brother John. Winnie, Mary and Murriah were their names and Winnie used to wear pieces of heather through her earlobes as earrings. I once asked her why she wore heather and she said that it was supposed to improve the eyesight. Mass was their only outing apart from helping generally around their hill farm, but they lived comfortably and were self-sufficient. John went to town now and again to fairs or with produce. He would pass by our house with his ass and cart ... bade you the time of day, which usually was, 'Good-day to ye,' and went about his business. He never owned or used a bicycle. He said he was not interested in these newfangled contraptions, but people knew the sisters ruled the roost and in their estimation anything new was thought up by the devil to lead people astray. Nevertheless their little home with its thatched roof was like a paradise, sitting high up in the hills with a panoramic view of the countryside. Visitors were not encouraged, especially children. We generally got as far as the half-door and they talked out to us as they busied themselves, polishing and cleaning and cooking. They were like ants, forever going hither and thither, needing approval from each other for everything they did ... They lived in peaceful isolation, untouched by the stresses of the outside world. The only house they visited was their married sister's, halfway down the village. Kate had married Ned MacHUGH late in life ..." -- Excerpt, Mrs. Marrie WALSH's (nee Mary Kate FERGUSON) memoir, "An Irish Country Childhood."