School: Ceann Mhálainne

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1. Churning

   

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   There is a churn in nearly every house in Malin Head. The usual height of a churn is about two and a half feet high in diameter and the bottom is one and a half feet and the mouth one foot. The sides of the churn are round. Our churn is eleven years old. The names of the different parts of the churn are, the crib, the waist, the body and the lagan. The crib is from the waist to the top, the waist separates the crib from the body and the lagan is the ridge round the body where the bottom is laid in.
   Butter is made twice a week during the summer in our house and seldom or never in the winter. It is my mother who does the churning. When strangers come in the house when my mother is churning they say "God bless the work", and they usually take the churningstaff and churn a little while.
   The usual time for churning is one hour and it is done by the hands. The staff is moved upwards and downwards while churning, but at the same time it is given a rolling motion from side to side.
   In the summer time there are two or three quarts of cold water put into the milk to temper it when it has been churned for about fifteen minutes. In winter, the night before churning, the churn of milk is left beside the fire and when it is being churned there is hot water put into the milk according to the quality of milk

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. agriculture (~2,659)
            1. butter and churns (~3,280)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Maggie Doherty

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Ardmalin, Co. Donegal

   Informant

   Annie Doherty

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Ardmalin, Co. Donegal