School: Com Liath (Scoil Brighde) (roll number 8924)

On this page

1. (no title)

   “Of all the means used by witches to carry neighbour's butter the following was the most powerful.”

   

   Share Share Post

   Of all the means used by witches to carry neighbour's butter the following was the most powerful. On May morning the witches went to some of the neighbours' herds and collected some hair off the backs and tails of the cows. This she rolled into a little ball and the ball of hair she then put into a little bag called a Shububarlín. This she wore when milking her cows and while making the butter. It used be hung from the neck by means of a long string, and while milking or making butter, she sang a verse (I could not get but part of this. It started by naming the people whose butter she wanted, something like this form underneath
   Ho Ro mo shububarlín ó
   Ím bean Uí ___ Ím bean Uí ___ agus Ím Bean Uí ___
   Im an bhaile seo im an baile seo
   ho Ro mo shubunarlin Ó
   Jerh Cronin Srumclough aged 72 tells the following story about a Shububarlín. In his young days he lived at Lackareagh Lealkil. His people were joined with another neighbour filling firkins of butter. This neighbour of his used make an incredible amount of butter for the number of cows she had, while in the neighbourhood there were two or three others who could make no butter. One day this woman came to Cronin's house with her butter and shortly after she went down the Boithrín

   (continues on next page)

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. genre
      1. poetry
         1. folk poetry (~9,504)

   Languages

   Irish

   English

   Informant

   Jack Cronin

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   72

   Address

   Dromclogh, Co. Cork