School: Gortnaskeagh (roll number 16321)

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1. Churning (continued)

   

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   old. It is of a round shape wide at the top narrow in the middle and wide again at at the bottom. This churn is scoured white and painted green outside. There are six houps all round the churn to keep it together.
   There are many different articles connected with churning namely the churn dash, butter print and butter clappers.
   This is how the butter is made. First the milk is allowed to get sour. Then it is closed tightly by a lid. In summer it does not take long to churn as the milk is warm and the weather is hot. The milk is churned for about a half a hour then the churn is given a rolling motion for about ten minutes. This is to gather the butter together. Then the motion of churn up and down is started again with the churn dash. Soon it is necessary to look and see if the butter is coming on and if not a small drop of hot water is put into it to hurry it. When the butter is all on the top of the churn a strainer is got with which the butter is lifted out into a wooden dish. Then it is salted and fixted into rools or prints with the butter clapper and butter prints. Butter is made three times in the summer and twice in the winter. In summer the butter milk is nearly all used by the family but in winter the calves get it.

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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

   Agnes Loughlin

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Gortnaskeagh, Co. Leitrim

   Informant

   Mrs Mc Tieran

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Morerah, Co. Leitrim