School: Mount Plunkett (roll number 8096)
- Location:
- Mountplunkett, Co. Roscommon
- Teacher: Bríd Ní Bheirn
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0265, Page 124
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- XML School: Mount Plunkett
- XML Page 124
- XML “Churning”
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- Churning
We have a churn at home and it is a dash churn. It is three feet high. It is one foot wide on top and one foot and a half at the bottom, and the sides are round. It is about fifty years old. The various parts are called the dash, the churn, and the lid. Butter is made twice a week in Summer and once a week in Winter. If any stranger came in during the churning, they always help at the work, because if they did not it is said that they would bring the butter. The churning takes about an 1/2 hour, and it is done by foot. The churn-dash always moves upwards and downwards. When the people want to know when the butter is made they take off the lid and see the little grains of butter. Water is poured in during the process to make the tempurature right.
The butter is lifted out of the churn and put into a dish. It is washed several times in cold water, and then it is salted. It is afterwards made into one pound rolls or whatever is suitable.
It is said that people loose the butter for certain periods. It is an old custom to put a spark under the churn.(continues on next page)
- Informant
- Mary Killion
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Galey, Co. Roscommon
