School: Cúl an Dasain (Cooladawson) (roll number 1620)
- Location:
- Cooladawson, Co. Donegal
- Teacher: Pádraig Mag Uidhir
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1100, Page 37
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- XML “Cures”
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- Many and varied are the 'cures' which our country and village wise men and wise women prescribe for the many ill ailments and diseases that affect the human and the brute creation.
'Whooping cough'. This is a very distressing malady from which most children suffer at some time or another but in former times and in some recent cases the country women never think of resorting to honey and squills, but try the cures practised by their mothers and grandmothers.
The writer saw a cockleman on Killygordon street standing holding his donkey till two women passed their babies over the back and under the belly of the donkey three times for each baby, saying each time "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost."
Another woman halted a man riding on a piebald horse and demanded him to name a cure for the child who was affected by whooping-cough. The man very obligingly named a glass of water and the woman was satisfied. More gruesome and repulsive was the cure prescribed by an old poacher, viz:- "Give a good feed of the usual white bread and milk to the ferret so that it will not be able to consume all, and then give the rest to the suffering child." There were a few other cases practised by the older people.
"Mumps". Another distressing malady but happily a shorter duration than whooping cough, but it can be readily cured(continues on next page)
