School: Clochar na Trócaire, Maghcromtha

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1. Some Old Milk Superstitions (continued)

   

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   to boil the iron coulter of a plough in new milk and fasten it to the churn - the milk is sprinkled in the cows' stalls. In the old days if a farmer had a grudge against any of his neighbours he generally got a ''wise woman'' or witch to put a spell on his enemy's cows and lessen their yield of milk. This happened in the midlands of Ireland about fifty years ago. The suffering farmer suspecting what had happened, when all his cows were going dry, called in a friend of his, who was supposed to have occult powers, to help him.

   He came just after the cows had been milked one evening and asked for a black bottle, which he filled with new milk, and, corking it tightly, he put it into a pot full of water on the fire. When the water boiled, the bottle burst and everyone in the farm kitchen heard a scream. The wise man asked for

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Susie Kelleher

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Coolyhane, Co. Cork

   Informant

   Peggy Lynch

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Masseytown, Co. Cork