School: Cnoc na Biolaraighe

Location:
Watergrasshill, Co. Cork
Teacher:
Dll. Mac Carrthaigh
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0382, Page 078

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0382, Page 078

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  1. XML School: Cnoc na Biolaraighe
  2. XML Page 078
  3. XML “Old Irish Customs Associated with May Morning”
  4. XML “Pishogues Associated with May Morning”

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  1. Many of our old Irish customs are supposed to have their origin with the Druids, particularly the custom of making butter on May morning and the lightning of fires on St John's Eve June 23rd.
    In the making of "May Butter" as it is called, one the women of the house arose some hours before dawn on May morning she put some cream in a vessel and stired this with a spoon until it was butter. She then collected dew from the grass and gave the butter some kind of washing with it. All this had to be finished before sun rise as there would be no cure in the "May Butter" otherwise.
    This butter was then put into a jar of some sort unsalted, as the charm was supposed to preserve it. It was used for all kinds of wounds and sores
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. events
      1. events (by time of year) (~11,476)
        1. May (~639)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Peggy Sarsfield
    Gender
    Female
    Address
    Skahanagh South, Co. Cork
    Informant
    Patrick O Connor
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Condonstown, Co. Cork
  2. On May Night some people who have Piseógs are supposed to go out and they put a lump of butter on other person's dairy door and they say they could take his butter for the year and they also go out and milk peoples' cows early in the morning and they would have the milk of the cows for the year. The people in order to prevent
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.