School: Convent of Mercy, Moville (roll number 9278)

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1. Taking Milk by Witchcraft

   

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   Taking Milk by Witchcraft.
   Some eighty or hundred years ago in the district of Moville, in Co Donegal, some people believed that milk could be taken from the cows by witchcraft. They thought that certain women could, by getting into the byre where the cows were, cast a spell on these cows so that the milk would leave these cows and come to the cows which they had. A strange story is told regarding this belief.
   It happened in Carnagarve, which is a townland about one mile outside Moville in Co. Donegal. In this town-land there lived a widow-woman who had several young children. She had one cow, yet it was noticed by the neighbours that she always had plenty of butter and milk. Twice a week she was seen going to the market with a basket of butter to sell.
   One man who lived near the widow woman noticed that, on going into his byre in the morning, he often noticed a hare coming running out of the byre-door. He go sucpicious as he had heard that certain women, by witch-craft, could change themselves into hares and take milk from cows. And this man noticed that his cows were not giving as much milk as they should.

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Moira O' Donnell

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Moville, Co. Donegal

   Informant

   Mrs M. Mc Gowan

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Carnagarve, Co. Donegal