School: Lathach Barr
- Location:
- Ardbane or Laghy Barr, Co. Donegal
- Teacher: Seaghan Ó Gallchobhair
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1032, Page 287
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- XML “Butter-Making”
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- About fifty or sixty years ago it was firmly believed that certain people by performing unholy rites could take the butter from their neighbours milk, and no where was this more firmly believed, and practised than in the townland in which my Grandmother was born and reared. This townland borders the sea, and is in the parish of Drumholen. In my grandmothers time there were only about four catholic families in this townland, the others were all Protestant.
A number of Protestant families could have no butter on their milk although they kept five and six cows and had the best pasture hands in the parish.
The milk was set for churning in the usual way, their being no creameries at the time, and no matter how they tried or how long they churned they could produce nothing but froth, and had to give up, and give the milk to calves because as well as having no butter, the milk had horrible small, as soon as this peculiar smell was felt, it was a sign that the butter was taken.
There were two protestant spinsters living in the place who were accused by all the neighbours as being the witches who(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Nora Gallagher
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Rathtinny Glebe, Co. Donegal
- Informant
- Brigid Gallagher
- Relation
- Grandparent
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 61
- Address
- Rathtinny Glebe, Co. Donegal
