School: Baile an Bhile (B.) (roll number 12195)

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1. Old Cures

   

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   The cure for a whopping cough was to ask the first man that passed by on a white horse fo a cure. Whatever he prescribed was supposed to cure the cough. Headaches were cured by a drink made from nettles, tea and castor oil. Tootaches and swellings such as the mumps were cured by a plaster made from oatmeal and chickween. When a person recieved a cut an herb like watercress was pulled and its white juice was applied to the cut which was soon healed
   Ringworms were supposed to be cured by catching 24 worms and by letting 12 of them go again and hanging the others on a tree and while they were dying the ringworms were going. Yellow jaundice was cured by the leaves of a willow and a flat herb The leaves were boiled and when they were cold the wings of three meadow flies were dipped in their juice which was then boiled again and drank.
   There preparations would only cure when certain people applied them. The most noted of the people that used to make these plasters was John Dempsey who lived at Brickens, Claremorris. An old woman who lived at Beckan, Claremorris had a cure for all kinds of fever. It is said the friars of Ballyhouris offered her £200 for her cures and she would not take it. She died soon afterwards. The cure for a sore throat was garlic and wild duck soup. If a person's ribs

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. medical practice
         1. folk medicine (~11,815)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   John Finn

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Brickeens, Co. Mayo

   Informant

   Thomas Murphy

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Brickeens, Co. Mayo