School: Lattoon

Location:
Lattoon, Co. Cavan
Teacher:
P. Ó Hiorraí
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1001, Page 371

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1001, Page 371

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  1. XML School: Lattoon
  2. XML Page 371
  3. XML “The Three Caves in Gortnabraher”
  4. XML “Elf-Shot”

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  1. In this district some hundred years ago or less the people were rather superstitious. I believe too they had reason to complain as it was supposed that milk and butter could be spirited or taken away by some charms from certain people. It was supposed that certain parties lived in the immediate vicinity who could use magic or some other means of taking away butter from their neighbors and on to forty years ago the people were in dread so much of these things occurring every May eve that they used to take the cautions and they'd make a withe of a Rowan Berry twig about the size of a bridal birth and tie it on the cows tail with a red tape and you could see hundreds of cows with this appliance as it was supposed to ward off and prevent any tampering with the milk or butter during the year. There was a superstition too that cattle or cows would be elfshot. It was supposed that the fairies playing at night in a field where cows were grazing that
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. activities
      1. economic activities
        1. agriculture (~2,659)
          1. animal husbandry (~2,587)
            1. medicine for animal sicknesses (~175)
              1. elf-shot (~18)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Rose Mc Gennis
    Gender
    Female
    Address
    Coragh, Co. Cavan
    Informant
    Mr P. Mc Gennis
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Coragh, Co. Cavan