School: Rooskey

On this page

1. Local Cures

   

   Share Share Post

   There are many local cures carried out in my village. The following are some of them.
   Sometimes when people have styes on their eyes they would go out into the orchard, and there they would beak ten thorns off a gooseberry bush, and then they would throw nine of them away and would point the one opposite the sty, and in nine days the sty would be gone away. If there were two styes there would be eight of the thorns thrown away, and the other two would be pointed at the styes.
   There is a cure made for ringworm also. It is believed that the seventh son or daughter has the cure of the ring-worm. The seventh son means that there are seven sons one after another with no daughter between them, and the seventh daughter means that there are seven daughters in a family one after another with no son in between them. The seventh son or daughter could not have this power unless a worm would be left on the child's hand after being born. When the worm would be left on the child's hand it would die immediately. When this child would come to the age of seven years it would have the power of

   (continues on next page)

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

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

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Annie Mac Donagh

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Srah Lower, Co. Mayo

   Informant

   Mary Cawley

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Srah Lower, Co. Mayo