School: St Patrick's, Aughnacliffe (roll number 13283)

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1. Churning

   

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   It is related by very old inhabitants that "witchcraft" was carried on to a great extent in this country long ago. Old hags were able to change themselves into such forms as greyhounds or hares etc. In this way an old hag under the guise of a hare would visit her neighbours byre, and by some mysterious magic spell, steal her neighbours butter. Another process which was also employed in the taking of butter was the "Dead Hand". The hand was severed from a corpse in a grave yard for this purpose. When butter was taken by means of the "Dead Hand", the milk from which it was taken had a bad odour. Men folk who practiced the foul game used to take the butter away by putting a kindled coal on their pipes, in the house of a neighbour, during churning operations. The people from whom the butter was taken used to have to get salt on a bottle of milk blessed by the priest of the parish. The blessed salt or milk was added to the milk before churning. In this way the butter was taken back again It is recorded

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   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

   Collector

   Peter Reilly

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   96

   Address

   Dunbeggan, Co. Longford

   Informant

   Michael Hourican

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   13

   Address

   Aghnacliff, Co. Longford