In olden times the people had great belief in cures. Here is some of them. For the 'white swelling' a brother and sister, whose father and mother had the same sur-name, would take the sufferer to a boghole, in which there was no water running into or out of, and skite the water across the seven times, saying prayers at the same time. This had to be done before sunrise or after sunset. If the person was very bad it had to be done three six or nine times.
The cure for 'whooping - cough' was to put the child out under a female donkey three times and of course saying prayers. Another cure and one they had great belief in, was a lock of hair of a child that its father was dead before its birth. Of course this would not cure them bur would keep them from fainting.
For 'mumps' the father had to take the donkeys halter and lead the child round the pig sty three times and had to shout out 'Muclach, Muchlach sin no an luicneach' Ther were prayers said too, as there were prayers said in every cure, and was not considered right if not said in Irish.