School: Coill-Chéim (roll number 9044)
- Location:
- Calhame, Co. Donegal
- Teacher: Seán Mac Cuinneagáin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1038, Page 4
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- XML “Churning”
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- (continued from previous page)during the Summer. When it is churned it is taken out with butter-spades; then the buttermilk is washed out of it with spring water. The hairs are taken out of it with a knife and it is washed again with water and the water is taken out of it and then it is salted. Then afterwards it is printed in pounds and half pound packets. Sometimes the butter is sold in the shops.
Buttermilk is used for baking bread, for hens and for calves and sometimes people drink it. It was the custom long ago on the first day of May for someone who was not great with the people of the house to rise early and go out before the sun would rise and gather all the dew of the grass and say "Come all to me". Sometimes these people turned themselves into hares and witches for fear anyone who would see them would know them. I heard of a woman who lived in Carcar who turned herself into a witch and went out on this errand? But it happened that a man named Master White was out and heard her. He went into his house and took out his gun and shot her with a sixpence. Then Doctor O'Donell had to come up to take it out of her.
- Informant
- P. Mc Closkey
