School: Ballyhaise

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1. Churning

   

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   I have a churn at home and it is the oldest one in the district because it belonged to my great grand-mother and also it is a very old shape like this diagram is the churn. It is 3 1/2 feet high. There are several utensils used at the making of the (drawing of the churn) butter the "dash" is the article that "brashes" the milk. The butter spades and trencher are also used for making butter. The trencher is a big flat wooden plate to prevent handling the butter and the butter-spades are for clapping it and making it into a shape. In Summer the milk can be churned three times a week but in Winter when milk is scarce and hard to thicken it is only churned once a week. When churning is been done the utensils used at the making of the butter have to be well scalded with boiling water because the butter would stick to them and could not be washed off. Every one in the house who is able to churn, must churn, and if a red-haired person comes in he should take a "brash" because it is he could take all the butter of the churn and if the man of the house smokes while the

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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

   Margaret Dennin

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   12

   Address

   Tonagh, Co. Cavan

   Informant

   Thomas Dennin

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   40

   Address

   Tonagh, Co. Cavan