School: Baile Locha Riabhach (Clochar)

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1. Churning (continued)

   

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   when churning so as to harden it. Sometimes if the weather is very hot, the butter is left lying in spring water for a few hours. In Winter when the days are cold lukewarm water is put in the butter so as to keep it from getting too hard.
   There are many pisrogaes about churning. It is said that if a neighbour or a friend comes in when you are churning that they should always take a hand at the churn, or if not, they will take the butter with them.
   More people put a hot cinder out of the fire under the churn to help the butter to come on. It is customary to sprinkle the churn with Holy Water before starting and to make the sign of the Cross and then to sing a hymn while the churning is being done. It is an old custom among the Irish when giving away a can of buttermilk and put a few prints of butter into it. It is also customary when there is a station in the village to give a little print of butter.
   When the butter is taken out of the butter dish it is rinsed in cold water to remove all buttermilk. Then it is made into little prints with butter spades and if it is for

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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

   Mrs Taylor

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Raheen Eighter, Co. Galway

   Informant

   Martin Kelly

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   50

   Occupation

   Saighdiúir

   Address

   Loughrea, Co. Galway