School: Carrowmore
- Location:
- Carrowmore, Co. Donegal
- Teacher: Seoirse Ó Dochartaigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1123, Page 462
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- XML School: Carrowmore
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- XML “The Cow”
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- The cow is tied in the byre by the bórach - a rope with a "sweel" on it, to the "Revel tree that is a rib or plank running along wall of byre from gable to gable. Some of the cows are tied around horns if they are inclined to "prod" the others. Some are tied around neck. If a maol cow is included to "break" she is tied with brauk, which are two pieces of sticks and rope. The word borach and revel tree are still used. The cow is milked twice a day a tin pan is now used. A pigín was used twenty years ago. The milk is strained now into crockery crock, twenty years ago an oak tub was used. This tub was painted white on outside. It lasted for years. The milk is churned in an oak churn and butter lifted off by hand. It is difficult to give churn staff or dash revolving movement so as not to splash milk out of churn. The lip of churn was called the clum. There were many coopers who made churn and tubs of butter dishes. The son of the cooper in Carndonagh was the teacher in the Carndonagh school. He resigned 25 years ago. Thomas Doherty was his name but he always got "Tommie the Cooper". His nephew lives in his house but does not work at trade. Churns come from Derry. Fifty years ago the butter(continues on next page)
