School: Fota Island, Belvelly, Cóbh (roll number 11646)
- Location:
- Foaty, Co. Cork
- Teacher: Pádraig Ó Coileáin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0386, Page 124
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- XML “The Lapa - Butter Stories”
- XML “The Lapa - Butter Stories”
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- The Lapa (laipín is dócha)No 1.
A great deal of butter was made on this farm even though the cattle on it were few and people often wondered. Noone ever saw the inside of their dairy but the family till one day when they forgot to shut it. A farmworker entered it and saw hanging on the back of the door a dead hand which was called the "lapa". When they wanted cream they put some milk in a basin and put the "lapa" into the milk. The depth of the fingers of cream would come on top of the milk and thus they were able to produce quantities of butter from a small stock of cattle.
- No.2
This farmer who had seven cows could never make butter while his neighbour with three cows had plenty of it. His wife (the former's) went to the priest but he could not do anything. But, on thinking he enquired of her did the woman of the three cows ever come to her house for salt. She replied that she came regularly. He told her to refuse the salt henceforth, because it was she who took the butter. Next time that the small farmer's wife came for salt she was refused. From that out the farmer first mentioned had plenty of butter. - Informant
- Jack Mac Carthy
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 60
- Occupation
- Carpenter
- Address
- Foaty, Co. Cork
