School: Cloran (roll number 5282)
- Location:
- Cloran and Corcullentry, Co. Westmeath
- Teacher: Síle Flynn
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0725, Page 0348
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- (continued from previous page)churn out after being churning he should put a pinch of salt in the churn to keep the fairies from taking the butter.
If a person with an evil eye overlooks a cow, a red string should be tied on the tow's tail.
To prevent butter being taken : -
1. Put salt in milk after straining on May morning. Butter cannot then be "taken" during the year.
2. Tie a rowan berry gad around the churn dash on May morning and leave it there until the following May.
3. Gather cipins from a cow-gap on May morning and burn them under the water used for churning.
Any person coming in when churning is going on should take "a brash".
If the fairies are taking the butter, (1) if two harrow pins are got and reddened in the fire and put in the form of a cross, (2) and tie a red string on the dash will prevent it.
It is not safe to have cows in a pasture field on a May morning as the fairies are supposed to come and lift the dew of the field and then milk the cows down on it. After that the owner would have no butter until that time twelve months.
