School: Baile na Mín (roll number 14925)

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1. Care of Farm Animals

   

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   On our farm at home we have cows, calves, a horse, pigs, a dog, a cat, hens, ducks and turkeys.
   When driving the cows the people say, "How, How," when calling them the people say, "Prug, Prug, Prug," and when telling them to stand up they say "Hersh anois".
   Our cowhouse is a stonewall, whitewashed, thatched house. There is a partition between every two cows, and there are also air slits in the walls. The cows are tied with chains around the neck, to stakes. Some cows are tied by the feet to keep them from kicking, the tyings on the feet are sometimes called "spanchels" and other times called "strampins". The neck tying is called a "breidin". The people never milk a cow on the left - hand side. It is a general custom among the country - folk to make the sign of the cross with the froth of the milk on the right leg of the cow, when they have finished milking. Another very old custom is to tie a piece of bright red woollen cloth on the tail of the cow when she is about to calve, and it is left on her tail till it wears off.

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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

   Kathleen Tansey

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Sheeane, Co. Roscommon

   Informant

   Mrs M.A. Tansey

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Sheeane, Co. Roscommon