School: Druim na dTréad
- Location:
- Drumnatread, Co. Cavan
- Teacher: S. Stondúin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1019, Page 238
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- XML “May Day”
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- Long ago the people used to get a large bush and place it in the byre door so as to keep the evil spirits from overlooking the cows or from stealing the milk. On May Day, if the coming year's luck in the cows is to be good they put a large hawthorn bush on the dunghill. If the cows had not as much or appeared to have not as much milk on that day as they had every other day the milk could on no account be used but they would stay up at night to watch the coming of the milk stealer. It was often known long ago for a person to turn himself into a hare and steal a person's milk on May Eve. If stolen on that day or night the cows were supposed to be bewitched for the coming year. So, the cows got red rags tied on their tails to keep this from being. Pat Fitzgerald who lives about half-a-mile from my house still believes that his cows were bewitched on May Eve and are still. He loses many a night's sleep to see someone stealing his milk but no one can be seen.On May Eve whoever has up his smoke first in the district will be unlucky for the coming year. On that day long ago the children used to strew flowers on the doorstep to keep away the evil spirits.On May Day if a person wanted the loan of anything they would not go to a neighbour's house(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Philomena Clarke
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Ratrussan, Co. Cavan
- Informant
- Patrick Clarke
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Ratrussan, Co. Cavan
