School: Baile Mac Rabhartaigh (roll number 3978)

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1. The Care of our Farm Animals

   

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   The cat, the dog, the cow, horse, calf, donkey, are the names of the domestic animals at home. Some of the cows have got names. The names of the cows are: Brodbin, Magpie, Thief, Tall Heifer, Warty cow, Old Polly, Small Heifer. When people are driving cows in and out of a field they say “hip hip”. When people are calling calves they say “suck – suck sucky.”

   The cow – house is a large house in which there are three stands two for the cows and one in the middle for going in on. There is a shough [?] at the end of each row of cows which is usually called a “group.” There is usually two doors and two windows in the cowhouse. It is usually called a byre. The cows are usually tied with a chain round the necks. The chain is fastened to a ring which is on a stick or iron bar in the ground which is called a stake. The cows are often tied by the neck, horns and legs, when they are thieving. These tyings are made of rope and leather. They are not home – made, the leather and rope are bought in the shop. There are different names for the tyings. A “felter” or a “lengel” is tying two of their legs. A spenchil is tying their head to their foot. There is no branch hung in the byre, but there is one of St. Brigid crosses hung in every house to bring luck on the stock. There are plenty of old stories told of milking.

   A Story

   There was one time a man named Tarry Mc Gee of Bunnahill near Belleek, milking his cows when a hare came into the byre

   (continues on next page)

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. agriculture (~2,659)
            1. animal husbandry (~2,587)

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Mrs Mary Mc Grane

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   78

   Address

   Ballynacarrick, Co. Donegal