School: Páirc an Iarla (roll number 9303)

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1. Churning

   

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   We have a churn at home. It is a foot and a half in height. It is a machine churn. It is a foot wide at the bottom and it is about three quarters of a foot at the top. It has round sides and a square top. It is about twenty years old. The four parts of the churn are called the lid, the handle, the dash and the churn.
   There is a mark on the side of the churn and the mark is ten gallons. We churn once a week in summer time and in the winter we churn twice a week. It is my mother that churns. If strangers come in some people would say to give a hand at the churning. Some people believe that if you did not they would take all the butter and more people that to shake holy water on the lid of the churn before you start, and to shake some salt on the lid. Long ago people used to put coals under the churn when they were churning.
   It takes half an hour to churn. It is by hand we churn. I know when it is churned because I would look into the churn. In the winter we put hot water to warm the milk, and in the summer we put cold water to cool the milk. We have a wooden spoon for taking out the butter. You take it up on a butter dish and wash it. Butter needs three washing. One is for taking the milk out of

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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

   Kathleen Killeen

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   12

   Address

   Rathpeak, Co. Roscommon

   Informant

   Patrick P. Killeen

   Gender

   Male

   Occupation

   Farmer

   Address

   Rathpeak, Co. Roscommon