School: An Chill, Dúngarbhán (roll number 630 or 16748)

Location:
Kill, Co. Waterford
Teacher:
Tomás Breathnach
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0650, Page 121

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0650, Page 121

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  3. XML “Local Cures”

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  1. Long ago before there were any doctors in this county there were two kinds of doctors namely witch-doctors and herb-doctors. The witch-doctors cured the people by charms, the herb-doctors by herbs. Here are a few cures they had.
    When a small baby became suddenly ill he was said to have been taken by the fairies and a fairy baby put in his place. The people of the house used to heat the shove land put the fairy baby on it. The fairy baby would then disappear and the real baby brought back. To cure a toothache they used to go to the graveyard and say three Hail Mary’s for the repose of the soul of a person not long buried. They would then chew a fist of grass of the grave but they usedn’t swallow any of it. They would then never get a toothache for the rest of their lives. They used to put St. Brigid’s band round their head to cure a headache. To cure a pain in the stomach or any stomach trouble they used to go to “Tobar Sceitín” in Mr. Jimmy Power’s of Kilbeg land and drink some of the water. There is a leaf called the “blood leaf” which they used for cuts. There is another leaf called the “Burn Fern” for curing burns. The weed called pennywort was a cure for corns and chilblains. For blood poisoning they made a poultice of goat’s milk, brown sugar, yellow soap and groundsel. For sudden pains in the side or swollen legs a poultice of cow dung was made and applied to it. A poultice of turnips was the cure for boils. For a cure for a nose-bleeding the key of the door was put down the back
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. activities
      1. medical practice
        1. folk medicine (~11,815)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Máiréad Tóirpí
    Gender
    Female
    Informant
    Mrs Mary Cummins
    Relation
    Unknown
    Gender
    Female
    Age
    75
    Address
    Milltown, Co. Galway