School: Clochar (roll number 11910)

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1. Churning

   

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   I have a churn at home. It is three feet nine inches in height. It is one foot six inches at the top, the same at the bottom and narrower in the middle. It is not an old churn - we got it in 1920. A man named Layden from Fenagh made it. From the middle to the top is called the peck and from the middle to the bottom is called the barrel. There are five hoops on it. There is a little cut in the lid of the churn and it has to be put beside a little cut that is int he churn.

   Butter is made three and sometimes four times a week in Summer and twice in Winter.

   We all help at the churning. If strangers come in they take a brash (i.e. churn for a while) It is thought that they would take away the butter if they didn't help with the work. Others don't lend things when churning as they think it unlucky. It sometimes takes an hour to churn, sometimes longer and sometimes shorter. The churning is done by hand. The churn-dash is always moved up and down except when the churning is finished. Then it is moved from side to side to "gather the butter." The butter is often around the sides of the churn and the "joggling" gathers it all to the middle.

   During the process the butter sticks to the dash but when the butter is made it sticks no longer. Sometimes when we are a long time churning and no butter appears (?)

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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. butter and churns (~3,280)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Bridie M. Prior

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Camagh, Co. Leitrim