Summary: Livestock
Key dates:
The main riches for the Irish farmer were in cattle. These were grazed on the rough land or moor around the hamlet. This moorland, mountain and rough pasture was known as the outland. It was divided also but not fenced off.
The Irish practised booleying. In summer, after the crops were sown, people moved out to the hills and moorland. There they built cabins of sods and stones, roofed with heather. They lived this semi-nomadic life so that they could keep cattle near them while they sought fresh pasture. Many animals had to be killed as winter approached and the meat was heavily salted to preserve it.
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