School: An Clochar, Gráig na Muilte Iarainn
- Location:
- Woodford, Co. Galway
- Teacher: Sr. I. Breathnach
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0050, Page 0456
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- (continued from previous page)crops. This prevented the people. who had a special power from the devil, from taking the crops. A landowner in the townland of Loughrea, went out one May Eve to count his cattle. When he came to the field there was a woman pulling a rope after her and she was muttering some words to herself. He said to her that she was gathering nothing but grass and when she churned again the churn was full of grass instead of butter. During the gathering of the milk he spoke and broke the spell. It was believed that if you washed your hands in a May morning dew that you would never get sunburned.Bonfires were lit on the twenty fourth of June in honour of St. John and one coal had to be brought from it to the kitchen fire. A goose is killed for Michaelmas: Cocks for St. Martin and their blood sprinkled on the threshold of the door and on all the outhouses. Some people never swept the floor on New Year's Day and crowds of boys went searching for "scheelogs".A good many of these customs are carried on even to the present day.
- Informant
- Michael Conroy
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 70
- Occupation
- Farmer
- Address
- Woodford, Co. Galway
