School: Baile an Londraigh (B.) (roll number 14305)
- Location:
- Ballylanders, Co. Limerick
- Teacher: Seán Ó Buachalla
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0512, Page 040
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- 40
Butter Making 60 years ago.To start the cows were milked into cans. Cans were upright wooden vessels bound with three hoops of tin. One stave was longer than the others at the top of which was an oval shaped hole for the hand. A can would contain about four gallons of milk. The dairymaid or milk-woman generally carried this full on the head. A round pad of hair was placed on the head and the can of milk or water was placed on that and the carrier put her two hands on her hips and walked away without spilling a drop.
When the cows were milked the milk was taken to the dairy and set in wooden vessels called keelers. These were round, about two feet in diameter, sometimes more and sometimes less.
They were about seven inches or less in depth.
Two opposite staves were higher than the rest in which were bored bwo holes for the fingers.
The milk was not disturbed for about thirty six hours when the cream would have come to the top and would have become thick and firm.
The milk-maid skimmed the cream into the cream tub either with her fingers or with a skimmer, a sort of wooden saucer.(continues on next page)
