School: Ráthdubháin (roll number 9385)

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1. On Churning

   

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   At present there is scarcely any churning done in my district. Formerly staff churns were used to a great extent in my district. Large staff churns were used by those who had a large number of cattle. The largest of them was about three feet in height. The width of the bottom was about twenty two inches while the width across the top was about ten inches. There are three sides in the staff churn and we are told that it is about forty years old. The names of the various parts are the beaters, the staff and the lid.
   Formerly the three chief kinds of churns used were the staff churn, the barrel and the box churn. Another churn used formerly was called the stand churn; it was shaped something like a ferkin, to which was attached a long piece of wood called the churn staff. By beating the cream with that staff, butter could be produced in about an hour. The barrel churn mentioned above was introduced afterwards. It was made round with a handle fitted on to both ends and it was worked by two persons turning the handles. By this process butter was made in about a half an

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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

   Informant

   Michael Murphy

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Knocknaloman, Co. Cork