School: Baile Nua an Fhaoitigh (roll number 9040)
- Location:
- Newtownwhite, Co. Mayo
- Teacher: Éilís Ní Mharascáil
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- Churning
Local Customs
When the people are churning if a neighbor comes into the house and does not take part in the churning they say she is sitting on the butter. Should tea leaves be thrown out while the churning it going on in a house it is commonly believed here that they are throwing out the butter. It is also said that a person coming into the house and taking a lighted coal from the fire will bring away the butter.
My grandmother tells how an old woman came into her house and took a turn at the churn. The butter had begun to gather on the churn and going out she took a bit of the butter to grease the hangs of her shoes. The milk turned into froth and though they churned all day no butter appeared. Next churning day she returned and took a brash at the churn. The old man of the house jumped up and said "I'm going to shoot whoever took the butter." The stranger woman began to get uneasy and when he went outside she spit three times into the churn and the butter appeared after that.
On another occasion an old woman used to come every churning day to the well with a pitcher for water while the churning was(continues on next page)- Collector
- William Jackson
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Newtownwhite, Co. Mayo
- Informant
- Margaret Gardiner
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 75
- Occupation
- Farmer
- Address
- Newtownwhite, Co. Mayo