School: Colehill (C.), Mullingar (roll number 14673)

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1. Churning (continued)

   

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   power to charm away the butter then In olden times this was often done The man or woman who worked the charm had a finger of a corpse in his possession and had to go into the house where the churning was going on and take sway a coal off the hearth If they succeeded in taking the coal three times at three successive churnings the charm was worked There was a great look-out for the man that came in to light his pipe during the churning time That was usually the way the coal was got away without being noticed If you grazed cows near a forth the good people took the milk from the cows and that is why people to this day tie a red string in the cows tail To get back the butter on the milk again you had to go to the man's place, steal the coulter of his plough and short chain of the swing lock your door to keep out strangers put the coulter in the fire wrap the chain round the churn Start to churn and you had your butter back again

   

   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

   Informant

   Mrs Hussey

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   67

   Address

   Lisnacreevy, Co. Longford