A Tilly Lamp

"This tilly lamp represents an era in Ireland before electricity came to our homes or farms. It is fuelled by paraffin oil and the wick is light manually with a match. This lamp would have been used by my grandfather as far back as 1910`s for checking on his horses and cattle in his stalls and out-houses at night. It could be turned on or off with a small dial on its side-you could say this type of lamp is the earlier version of a hand torch! The glass surrounding it kept the flame from blowing out and prevented fires from starting as the hay sheds would have gone up in smoke with a naked flame or candle. This tilly lamp should evoke happy memories for anyone in Ireland who is old enough to remember the pre-electric days. We ressurrected this one recently to get us through Storm Ophelia."