School: Broadford

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1. Old Cures

   

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   An old cure for ringworm is to paint it all round the verge of it with ink to keep it from spreading and then to paint it all over with the ink. Another cure is to rub your fasting spit to it for three mornings after another in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Copper is dissolved in water and rubbed on is another remedy.
   A cure for a wart is to get a black snail and rub him to it. Then to stick him in a thorn of a white thorn bush and as soon as the snail withers the wart withers. It is said that if it is dipped three times in a little hole full of water in a stone it will be cured. Another one is to tie a cord around the wart and let it cut through the wart till it falls off.
   A cure for the whooping cough is to go under a grey mare three times. To drink asses milk or any cure given by the driver of a grey mare.
   An old cure to stop blood is to put a cobweb on the cut. If the cut is fresh to put paraffin oil or car grease on it to prevent it from poisoning.
   A great cure for a sprain is to pump water on it or lay it in a stream or under a spout.
   An old cure for a pain in the head is to get vinegar and steep brown paper in it and put it to your forehead till all the vinegar is soaked out of the paper into the forehead.
   A cure for a sty in the eye is to rub a gold ring to it and then look through the ring into the field. Another cure is to rub your fasting spit to it for three mornings in the name

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. medical practice
         1. folk medicine (~11,815)

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Tom O' Brien

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   95

   Occupation

   Farmer

   Address

   Ballykelly, Co. Clare