School: Árd Móinín

Location:
Ardmoneen, Co. Cavan
Teacher:
A. Ó Cianaigh
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0962, Page 320

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0962, Page 320

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  1. XML School: Árd Móinín
  2. XML Page 320
  3. XML “Local Cures - The Head Fever”

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  1. The chief symptom of head fever is a violent and sickening pain in the head. Yes I myself had the head fever when I was fifteen years of age. I was suffering from it for weeks before it was diagnosed, but I was then as weakened by it that I was not able to walk.
    Well, there was an old woman a Mrs Costello living at the time in Tullylacken Mór who had the cure and I was brought there.
    After some prayers, she measured my head from back round to the to of my nose and then using the same string she measured my head again but this time from the under point of chin to the top, telling me at the same time that if I hadn't it the two measurements would correspond.
    The finding was that the string that measured my head from back to front as stated above wanted 6 or 7 inches of meeting when my head was measured by it in the upward direction. She then told me that my head was so much opened and she prayed and pressed my head inwards with her hands having on at each side of my head.
    This was on a certain Thursday and she made the cure again on the following Monday when she showed me that my head had closed in by about 3". I had to go back to have the cure made again - a Monday and last time on the following Thursday after which I was completely cured by this good old lady - RIP
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. activities
      1. medical practice
        1. folk medicine (~11,815)
          1. medicine for human sicknesses
            1. rheumatism (~57)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    H. Keaney
    Gender
    Male
    Occupation
    Teacher