School: Muine Dubh (Moneyduff) (roll number 9222)

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1. Folklore - Churning

   

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   We have a churn at home. It is three feet high and one and a half wide. The sides are round. It is five years old. The parts are a dash a lid and a dabbler. There is no mark on the side or bottom. We churn three times a week in Summer and once in Winter. We churn cream. Butter is made every time we churn. Both men and women help at churning. Strangers who come in always help at the churning because it is believed that they who come in should take a brash in the churn otherwise they would take the butter away. In the Summer churning takes a hour and in Winter it takes about three quarters of an hour. I never saw churning done by foot only by hand. When churning the dash is pulled towards the shoulder. When it is is churned the dash comes up clean out of the churn. Water is poured in while churning. When the churn is started about a quart of boiling is thrwon in while churning then half way a pint of soft water then finishing with plenty of cold water. When it is is churned the lid is let down into the milk then there is a stone put under one side of it and it is rocked, to gether the butter. It is then taken off with the dabbler and put in a tub full of cold water and washed three times to take the milk out of the butter. One ounce of salt to two lbs of butter it is then put into rolls two to four lbs. The calves get butter milk and so do

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. agriculture (~2,659)
            1. butter and churns (~3,280)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Patrick Healy

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Newtownmanor, Co. Leitrim

   Informant

   B. Cunningham

   Gender

   Unknown

   Age

   75

   Address

   Newtownmanor, Co. Leitrim