School: Gortnacart (roll number 15554)
- Location:
- Gortnacart Glebe, Co. Donegal
- Teacher: León Ó hÚallaigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1042, Page 69
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- XML School: Gortnacart
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- XML “Butter-Stealing”
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- (continued from previous page)shoes had to be placed in the milk, and accordingly as the churning proceeded and the hoof cooled the second one had to be taken from the fire and placed in the milk, while the first was being again heated.
These three brothers set about curing the milk and of course getting back the butter. There were three brothers of them in it then, but two of them has long since died. One had to attend to the heating of the shoes in the fire. One had to hold the churn which is said to have been jumping about from place to place in the Kitchen while the third did the churning. Now this proceeded for over an hour while the "cock" on the farm during the operation was continually flying up and flapping his wings against the closed door and crowing. At the end of that time however the one holding the churn fainted, and the other two had to open the door and drag him to the street to get fresh air and as a conequence the cure was all spoiled.
On looking around they saw a woman down in the river, for there is a river flowing quiet convenient to the house and she was out standing in the water and splashing the water up on herself. This is the person they said that had stolen the butter and being in league with the devil, she was trying to cool herself during the operation.
- Informant
- Joseph Maguire
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 60
- Occupation
- Farmer
- Address
- Clonconwal, Co. Donegal
