School: Kyle (An Chill) (roll number 4442)

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1. Butter-Making (continued)

   

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   it becomes clear again.
   The butter is made fourteen times during Winter and it is not made at all during the Summer but the milk is sent to the creamery. The working men make the churn in the morning. If a stranger comes into the dairy while the churn is being made he must turn it two or three times because the old people say that if a stranger does not turn it that the cream will not change.
   It is with the hand that the churn is made in my locality and it is around in a circle that the handle is turned. The butter is taken out of the churn with a pair of butter patters and it is put into a keeler and it is washed and salted. It is on Fridays that the butter is made so that it would be fresh for Saturday's market. The buttermilk is given to pigs for a drink.
   Long ago people put Holy water into the churn in order to keep away Pisroges. Long ago if the farmers saw grease on their farmyard gates when they were going to make butter they would not make it at all because it was in this manner that charms could act. It often happened that the farmer did not notice the grease and according as they made the butter it was mysteriously taken away. Long ago the farmers put a shovel of burning sticks under the churn it was supposed to keep the charms away. It is on the first May night that the charms are made and they will hold for a

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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

   Noel Considine

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Clasheel, Co. Cork

   Informant

   Mr E. Malley

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Clasheel, Co. Cork