The Gres Burela factory, formerly known as Gres Cucurny, with its chimney, was located very close to the Burela-In Mural, which is actually called “Burela, its sea, and its people.”

It was founded by the Catalan Leandro Cucurny in 1908, who already had another pottery factory in his hometown, specifically in Montmeló, an activity that his grandfather, Pau Cucurny, had started in Barcelona. Cucurny settled in Burela attracted by the facilities, including a 37-meter-high chimney, from the then failed Sociedad Cerámica de Sargadelos. The latter had moved in recent years from the nearby town of Sargadelos to our town, from 1901 to 1908 when it was finally seized. Cucurny’s company acquired 60 mining facilities under the name “La Gallega,” which provided his pottery plant with excellent raw materials: refractory clays, feldspars, and kaolin, our “clay.” These same materials would be used years later, in 1968, by Díaz Pardo and Luis Seoane in their Laboratorio de Formas to revitalize the Sargadelos Ceramics factory, in the homonymous town, with a new and avant-garde concept in line with the times.

Gres Cucurny manufactured construction materials such as tiles, ceramics, and ceramic floors, including ceramic mosaics, of such high quality that it managed to create a brand with a designation of origin: Gres Burela. This created employment and prosperity, reaching a workforce of 260 workers in 1946 when Burela had a total population of 1,100 inhabitants.

In 1955, Leandro Cucurny passed away, and the church bells of the parishes of Burela and Montmeló rang simultaneously at 8:00 p.m.

The chimney of the Sociedad Cerámica de Sargadelos and Gres Cucurny was demolished in 1960, after passing through various owners. In 2013, the Gres Burela company was liquidated.

What are the “rederas”?

The “rederas” are women responsible for making and repairing fishing gear and nets, either by sewing or by knotting them.

What is captured with each piece of gear, net, or trap?

• With the “cerco,” pelagic species like sardines, horse mackerel, mackerel, and bogue are captured.

• With the “miños,” turbot, sole, John Dory, spider crab, conger eel, and lobster are caught. • The “volanta” is used to catch hake.

• The “volantillas” are used to catch hake or red mullet, depending on the mesh size of the “volantillas.”

• The “nasas” are used to catch octopus, velvet crabs, and shrimp, depending on the type of “nasa.”

• With the “palangre de fondo,” hake, haddock, red sea bream, and pout are caught.

• The “palangrillo” is used to catch sea bass, bream, and pout.

What are the “paños” that María Jesús Alonso mentions?

The “paños” are actually the nets, which are located between the two “relingas.” As you can see in the video, the upper “relinga” is made of cork or synthetic material (to make it float on the sea surface), and in the past, it was made of cork oak bark. The lower “relinga” carries a weight, usually made of lead, to ensure that the net remains submerged in the water. In colloquial terms, “relingas” are also called ropes, as referred to by the “rederas” and sailors. Nowadays, they are made from natural fibers like hemp and cotton, or synthetic fibers like nylon and kuralon, among others.

Who was the “asturiana” mentioned by María Jesús?

The “asturiana” María Jesús refers to was Edelmira Suárez, a woman of Asturian origin who began teaching young “rederas” the trade when they were around fourteen years old, just like María Jesús. With Edelmira, they learned in huts to distinguish each part of the net and to handle the needle. In the past, the needles were made of hard and flexible wood like boxwood or chestnut. When they had to sew fishing gear for the “cerco,” they did it at the port or in a nearby field, or even on the boat. In contrast, with other fishing methods, they could sew the gear in the hut of the owner or even, on occasion, they had the opportunity to sew the gear at their own homes to balance their trade with caring for their children. Nowadays, the “rederas” of Burela sew in a port warehouse exclusively dedicated to them.

What are the “olgas”?

The “olgas” are the seaweeds; that’s what they are called in Burela.

What were the “olgas” collected by the “olgueiras” used for?

The “olgas” were used to fertilize farmlands. As Herminia Pernas, the official chronicler of Burela, mentions, the vegetable gardens extended all the way to the seashore. In the past, the agricultural sector was as important as the fishing sector. What was the process of collecting and selling “olgas” for industrial use? The “olgas” were collected early in the morning, always during low tide. They were piled up, and the more commercially valuable species were selected. All of this had to be done as quickly as possible since some seaweeds, after being on the beach for more than a day and a half, became very slippery, making them more challenging to handle. After selecting them, they were placed in sacks or baskets, as described by María Jesús. They often filled up to 30 sacks in a day’s work, which were then carried on their backs or shoulders to the transport location, as the “redera” describes. If there was a significant slope, they used a winch for assistance. The next step was drying the seaweeds in the open air. Depending on the weather and sun, it could take up to three days to dry them. They were spread out and turned every two or three hours to prevent them from rotting. They also had to be kept dry to avoid getting wet in the rain, etc. Dried “olgas” lost more than half of their weight, so to obtain 1000 kg of dried “olgas,” 3000 kg of wet “olgas” were needed, which made dried “olgas” more valuable (around 12 pesetas per kilo). Once finished, they were sold at a factory in the nearby municipality of Ribadeo, in Vilavella, for further distribution from there. With the closure of the factory, most “olgueiras” abandoned the trade.

Where were the “olgas” collected?

The “olgas” used for fertilizing farmlands were collected along the coast of Burela, especially on the Puerto Beach, which has now disappeared. This beach was located in front of where the Burela-In Mural and the headquarters of the Association of Retired Sailors and Associates are now located, extending to the granary and the old fishermen’s houses behind it. It was a good location because the access for carts and pack animals that would transport the “olgas” later was easier than in other places in the town. As for the “olgas” for industrial use, they were collected mainly in the Cantiño area and Perdouro Beach (next to the Coeda church), reaching the disappeared Castrelo Beach (where the folds of Perdouro are now located).

In the past, there were several canning factories in the town (Conservas Bravo, Conservas Remo, O Trochero, Fabricantes Unidos…).

The workers were primarily women who entered the workforce at a very young age, once they had completed their basic education at the age of 13, similar to the women who were involved in fishing with nets. New employees started by doing a bit of everything, simple tasks that they referred to as “providing service” (carrying salt to the tables, transporting fish, etc.).

Later, under the guidance and apprenticeship of the more experienced women, they began to learn how to clean the fish before moving on to other tasks.

There were roles like the stoker, whose responsibility was to ensure that the boiler had enough coal to cook the fish. In case frying was necessary, another woman took care of that, and the quality of the final product depended on her skill.

The rest of the workers were responsible for the entire canning process and would typically wear their own clothes to work until 1974.

The waste was used as fertilizer in the farmlands or was used to make flour.