School: Muine Dubh (Moneyduff) (roll number 9222)

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1. Folklore - Farm Animals and Fowl (continued)

   

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   little return of butter so we took one bottle of milk and some salt to the priest and got it blessed and the first time we churned we put the blessed milk and a pinch of salt into the churn and we were only an half hour churning so it was alright ever since. Some people if they are selling milk will not give it to you without putting salt on it lest you would take the butter. If there is a river near a house milk vessels should not be rinsed into it because the fish or eels would take the butter and that used to happen long years ago.
   In the hatching of hen eggs the quietest and the best hen is selected. Thirteen hen eggs are put down into a box nearly full of hay or straw, as straw is lucky. In my home the eggs are not put down until the sun sets the reason of that, is that the hawk will not take the chickens away, but we used not do that always. We only heard of it three or four years ago and until we started it the hawk used always take away the chickens but he never took them since, although he flew over the house. Hen eggs are left down three weeks. They are put down in the month of March, as March birds are always the hardiest. When we put the eggs down we put holy water on them and say a pater and ave. The eggs are put into a basin of hot water the last week to make the shell tender for the bird to come out. When you

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. agriculture (~2,659)
            1. animal husbandry (~2,587)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Maureen Mc Sharry

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Mullagh, Co. Leitrim

   Informant

   Mrs H. Mc Sharry

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   48

   Address

   Mullagh, Co. Leitrim