School: Naomh Muire, Droichead Átha (roll number 8052)

Location:
Drogheda, Co. Louth
Teacher:
Sr. M. Bernard Mc Cabe
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0680, Page 266

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0680, Page 266

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  1. XML School: Naomh Muire, Droichead Átha
  2. XML Page 266
  3. XML “Superstitions”

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  1. May flowers brought into the house are unlucky.
    On May eve they should be thrown on the house to keep the fairies out.
    To borrow salt and not give it back takes the luck of the person that lent it.
    A match should not be lent on Monday morning.
    Mrs. Flynn of Newhouse told Maureen Byrne a pupil of our school that her mother was up in a field in Cartown early one morning and she saw two women winding a ball of yarn round a cow that was after calving. This was done so that the cow would give no milk and they were fairy women.
    Mrs. Devine of Belcotton told her too that on May eve the fairies used to come to where the cows were grazing and wind a ball of yarn while walking round the cows and if you asked them for any of the yarn they they would not give it to you because their power would be taken from them.
    There were women who did not believe this and they used to milk the cows in spite of the fairies.
    One evening Maureen Byrne's uncle caught one of them milking the cows. When she had finished he threw the bucket of milk on top of her.
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. genre
      1. belief (~391)
        1. folk belief (~2,535)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Dodo Carey
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Mount Saint Oliver, Co. Louth
    Informant
    Maureen Byrne
    Gender
    Female
    Address
    Carstown, Co. Louth