School: Moyvoughley (roll number 7249)
- Location:
- Maigh Bhachla, Co. na hIarmhí
- Teacher: C. Ní Fhlannagáin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0743, Page 020
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- The old people say it is a very old custom to churn milk on a May day and some people believe they should not give away anything on that day.
Other people believe that it is a good thing to be up early so that they would have the fire lit to have the first smoke out of their chimney in the neighbourhood.
The pishrogue of taking one's neighbour's butter by intoning a magic incantation has been tried out in the locality and district. It seems that the would-be thief of the butter must shout the incantation while planting sallies in the gaps through which the milch cows pass.
A man by the name of Mooney (of Lough near Killare) once observed a woman sticking down the scollops in the gaps and she was inchanting the cantation. He followed her in jest and copied her actions adding "That I may have half the butter." On the next churning his wife had such a huge churning that she was(continues on next page)
