School: Banahoe

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1. Witchcraft

   

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   Long ago there lived an old woman in this locality named Mrs Huet, and on May eve she used to get a ball of yarn which she took with her to the neighbouring houses, leaving part of it on every street, doing this journey in a circle and thus she would return to where she started. Having done this she wound up the yarn again invoking the devil by whose means she could take all the butter from the people which she had visited. But before doing this she had to go to the well before sunrise for the water she used when churning.

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   Topics

   1. activities
      1. economic activities
         1. agriculture (~2,659)
   2. agents (~1)
      1. supernatural and legendary beings (~14,864)
         1. hags (~139)
            1. hare-hag (~41)

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Tommy Galligan

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   65

   Address

   Drumliff, Co. Cavan

2. Note

   

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   A countryman told me that the fact that butter could be got off the churning could be explained by natural causes. He stated a case where a certain man thought a witch was taking his butter, but discovered that it was his sister who caused the mischief. If the "wind" (draught) gets at the crock of cream it is impossible to churn it afterwards.

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

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