School: An Cnoc, Clanna Caoilte

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1. Crafts (continued)

   

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   at home from wool and flax. Even the very poorest - the labourers - kept sheep and grew about a quarter of flax each year.
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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

2. Butter-Making

   

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   Butter-making was one of the principal industries. Two or more farmers joined in the filling "of firkins" - a wooden vessel which was capable of holding about seventy pounds of butter. They both churned on the same day. & their combined products were salted, weighed, and packed. When they had sufficient to form a horse-load, it was taken by road to Cork & sold. When properly corned - the butter was in perfect condition after as long as six months. The buyers tested the butter by means of an augur - forced right through & jerked upwards. It was then tasted & graded. There were as many as six grades of butter in the Cork market & the price of the first was almost double that of the most inferior. There were other classes of buyers - often farmers - who bought butter - for the purpose of increasing the weight & re-selling. This was done by what was called "slashing" - that is heating the butter & forcing warm

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   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. agriculture (~2,659)
            1. butter and churns (~3,280)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   M. White

   Informant

   Laurence White

   Relation

   Parent

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   94

   Address

   Carhoovauler, Co. Cork