School: Askill (roll number 5294)
- Location:
- Askill, Co. Leitrim
- Teacher: Padraig Ó Treabhair
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0190, Page 341
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- XML “Local Cures for Sick Cattle”
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- Old people some forty years ago believed that cattle were suffering from a disease called "Elfshot." This disease is said to be given to the beast by some little elf or fairy throwing a stone at them. I will now describe one of the ways for curing this disease.
It is said that you measure the beast that is sick with a string from the tail to the point of the horn and their hoofs. You pull a few hairs out of their tail and a few from between their horns and a grain from their back, you do this three times and then you have the cure made.
Another cure for this disease is for the person that makes the cure to take some water from a running stream, this he puts into three pots on the fire. Into the centre pot he puts some copper and silver such as a shilling and a penny. when the water is heated he takes off the centre pot and scrapes some dust from the bottom, that is the part next the fire, from the same pot he lifts some water, which he mixes the black dust. this then is put on a mash and given to the cow. The person that makes the cure says some prayers(continues on next page)
