School: Radharc an Locha (roll number 13639)
- Location:
- Aghamore Near, Co. Sligo
- Teacher: Eibhlís Ní Chaomhánaigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0161, Page 353
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- XML School: Radharc an Locha
- XML Page 353
- XML “Churning”
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- We have a churn at home. It is about three and a half high and is narrow in the middle and wide in the bottom and top. The top is called the peck. It is kept together by iron hoops. There is a lid for it with a hole int he centre of it which the dash is put through. it is about forty years old and it was made in Sligo. The men who made the churns were called Coopers.
During the Winter butter is made about once a week but in Summer it is made twice and three times a week. After the cows are milked some of the milk is taken for household use and the rest is left aside in wide pans. The pans are black inside and glazed and cloured red outside. When the milk is thickened the cream is scimmed off with a saucer and put into the churn. The dash and churn are first scalded well with boiling water and then rinsed with cold water. There is a little piece of wood called the joggler and shaped like a saucer with a hole in it which the dash is put through. The dash is then moved up and down until the butter is formed. Any person who scites out the milk while churning it is said that the person will marry a drunkard.
When the churning is going on for about twenty minutes small curds appear on top of the lid and then then the milk is said to be broke. Hot water(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Tom Hanney
- Gender
- Male
