School: Kentstown (roll number 1599)
- Location:
- Kentstown, Co. Meath
- Teacher: Pádraig Ó Lúasaigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0684, Page 427
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- XML School: Kentstown
- XML Page 427
- XML “Churning”
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- Miss Agnes Macken of Danestown, Balrath has a churn almost fifteen years old. It is very small with dashes inside it. When the handle on the outside is turned the dashes inside begin to work. The milk is thus churned. Miss Macken does her own churning but something a neighbour helps her. In olden times there were certain people who were able to take the butter off the the churn by witchcraft. To prevent this people used to put a red iron under the churn before the churning was commenced. On the first evening in May there are many mischievous spirits wandering through the farmyard. Unless great caution is taken they will steal every morsel of cream off the crocks in the dairy. For this reason they watch people carrying home the water from the wells. If any water is drawn after sun set the cream or butter is almost certain to be stolen. In order to keep the spirit from entering either the dairy or the cow stable, May flowers are gathered(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Cecil Macken
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Danestown, Co. Meath
- Informant
- Miss Agnes Macken
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Danestown, Co. Meath
