School: Cillín (Portomna)
- Location:
- Killeen South, Co. Galway
- Teacher: Seosamh Ó Dúnadhaighe
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0053, Page 0156
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- XML School: Cillín (Portomna)
- XML Page 0156
- XML “Churning”
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- There is a churn in every local house. Our churn is about two feet high. It is about one foot wide at the top. The sides of it are round. On the top there is a lid. The maker’s name is E.Taylor and Sons. The butter is usually made once each week.
When the churning is going on everyone usually helps to twist the churn.
When ever anyone goes into a house where people are churning it is the custom that he should take the churn.
The churning is done in about half an hour.
When the butter is taken out of the churn it is put into a wooden dish and salted and then made up into rolls.
The churning is done by the hand.
Sometimes people put water into the churn. In the summer-time they put cold water and in the winter-time they put hot water to hurry up the churning.
There is a small glass in the churn and when that is cleared it is churned.
Long ago when people used to come to the houses where the churning is going they used to put a coal under the churn to
“bring the butter”.
The butter-milk is used for making cakes.
When anyone is making butter they always use two pieces of wood which they call butter-hands.
- Collector
- Mary Keary
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Cloonmoylan, Co. Galway
