School: Knockcommon (roll number 16549)
- Location:
- Knockcommon, Co. Meath
- Teacher: Sighle Nic Aibhsc
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0684, Page 019
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- XML School: Knockcommon
- XML Page 019
- XML “Churning”
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- The churn which we have at home is an end over end one. It is attached to a wooden stand by two small axles which it turns on when it is twisted by the handle. The barrell is three feet high and one and a half feet wide, and the stand is two feet high. There is a small wooden plug at the bottom of the churn to let out the buttermilk. It is about twenty-five years old.
Butter is made about three times a week in Summer and once or twice in Winter. The reason why it is churned oftner in Summer is because the temperature is high and the milk thickens quicker.
The churn itself is half filled with cream, and turned slowly at first, and frequently ventilated in order to allow gas to escape which collects in the churn during the first few minutes of the churning. The gas is let escape by pressing a small air-plug which is on the lid of the churn. An old custom locally was that when a person entered a house when the(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Josie Dwyer
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Rathdrinagh, Co. Meath
