School: St John of God Convent, Rathdowney (roll number 16203)
- Location:
- Rathdowney, Co. Laois
- Teacher: The Sisters
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0828, Page 176
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- (continued from previous page)the churn in the Winter this is to help to gather the butter.
There is a glass in the lid of every churn and when this comes clear the churning is finished. The butter is taken out and placed in a wooden vessel and washed several times until all the milk is completely washed out with clear spring water.
Almost in every district there is some superstition about churning. If a person came in while the churning is going on and if he went out without churning it is believed that he takes the butter with him or if a man went out smoking it is a bad sign. Some people say that if you gave away butter on May day you would have no butter for the year after. In some houses as a rule each member of the family takes a turn this is supposed to bring good luck.
A story is told that some years ago there was a woman named Mrs Feehely Tullow Templetusty. This woman only had one cow but still she used to sell twenty lbs butter every week to a(continues on next page)
