Rundale

In the remote western areas of Ireland where the rundale system was most commonly seen, the land was a complex mixture of arable, rough and bogland.

Rundale clachans and their transhumance pastures, also known as Booley, Boley, Bouley, Bualie and Boola can still be seen in the parish of Kilcommon in Erris, County Mayo, in many townlands such as Gortmelia, Inver and Glengad where clusters of cottages can be seen on the hillsides with land in narrow strips running down to the sea.

Seasonal migration to Scotland and England superseded this ancient system and went hand-in-hand with more permanent emigration to the United States.

Booleying alleviated pressure on the growing crops and provided fresh pasture for livestock while the migratory worker to the potato fields of Ayrshire or Lothian earned sufficient income to allow him and his family to live at home for most of the year.

The average holding on the small farms of County Mayo was only five acres, insufficient to maintain a family for more than part of the year.