School: Moate or Moyvoughley (?)
- Location:
- Moate, Co. Westmeath
- Teacher: -
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0745, Page 141
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- XML School: Moate or Moyvoughley (?)
- XML Page 141
- XML “Churning”
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- I have got an end-over-end churn at home. It is four feet in height, and the sides are straight. It is about six years old. In the Summer mother churns three times in the week , but in the Winter only once a week.
It is an old custom that when people are churning if any strangers come in he must leave the weight of himself on the churning." This means he must give a little help. If he does not do this the belief is that no butter will come. If he is leaving without "taking a hand" the people say to him "Are you going to take the butter with you.? On May day the people never churn. If they churn on that day nothing will come on the cream but froth.
With our churn at home it takes twenty minutes to bring the butter. When we want to know when the churning is done we look at the little(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Betty Quinn
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Ballymore, Co. Westmeath
