School: Cloonmagunnane (roll number 13114)
- Location:
- Cloonmagunnaun, Co. Roscommon
- Teacher: T. Rogers
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0238, Page 195
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- XML “Herbs”
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- The farmers do not like thistles, duckweeds, ragworth, crowfoot, chickweed, coltsfoot, groundsel, nettles or dandelion for they either choke or smother the useful plants or they extract from the soil the food which should feed his plants. These weeds are either cut or pulled before they grow too strong. Rushes, sedge (a sort of coarse grass), 'Flagger' (Iris), 'purple flower' grow on poor wet marsh land and stock refuse to eat them.
'Blackheads' and 'bóhalán' are injurious plants and cattle do not eat them. The farmer likes to see clovers or trefoil growing in his pastures and meadow lands. These grow only on good dry land.
Leaves of docks, nettles, chickweed, and bóhaláns' are plucked, cooked mixed with meal and are given to pigs and fowl in summer. Dandelion leaves are given to young pet rabbits.
Herbs were very much used to cure ailments in former times. In almost every garden garlic was grown. It was boiled and the water in which it was boiled was drunk by delicate people or people suffering from bad coughs. It was also given to farm animals when they were suffering from colds or coughs. The bulbs were cut up and tobacco leaf was mixed with them. A sort of paste was the result and calves were 'vaccinated' on the tails with this. It was thought to be a protection against "blackleg" - a fatal disease in young stock. Formerly when Veterinary Surgeons were not to be got some knowledgable man who was generally a herd and had experience of cattle, sheep, horses etc. was called on to treat diseases in those animals. "Doctors", called quacks made use of herbs, such as ivy leaf to cure ailments. The country people believed they could cure them and they used buy bottles of medicine from them.
