School: Cluain Eich (roll number 9942)
- Location:
- Clooneagh, Co. Leitrim
- Teacher: Sr. Ó Donnabhair
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0219, Page 253
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- XML School: Cluain Eich
- XML Page 253
- XML “Churning”
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- I have a churn at home. It is almost three feet in height and it is five feet in circumference. The sides are round and it is eighteen years old. The parts of the churn are the staves, pick, hoops, lid and joggles. Butter is made twice a week in Winter, and four times a week in Summer. We all churn at home. When a stranger comes in while the churning is going on he always takes a "breas" because there is a superstition that if he did not take a "breas" he would bring the butter with him. It takes half an hour to churn six gallons of milk. The dash is moved up and down and when it is nearly churned the dash is given a rolling motion to gather the butter. When the butter comes up in little lumps and the dash clean the milk is churned. There is soft water poured in, in Winter to help to gather the butter and cold water in, in Summer. This water is called "breaking water". There are a lot of stories told about churning. One time there was a family of Murphys who lost their butter and the man of the house believed that the spirit used to run up a tree.(continues on next page)
- Collector
- John Hackett
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Liscloonadea, Co. Leitrim
- Informant
- Mr C. Hackett
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 45
- Occupation
- Farmer
- Address
- Liscloonadea, Co. Leitrim
