School: Garrysallagh
- Location:
- Garrysallagh (O'Reilly), Co. Cavan
- Teacher: P. Greally
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0989, Page 105
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- XML School: Garrysallagh
- XML Page 105
- XML “Churning”
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- (continued from previous page)and the wheels work the dash up and down by an iron which goes up through the bottom of the churn and is joined to the dash.
Hot water is put in the milk so as to heat it and then the butter comes quicker. People know the churning is finished when the dash gets clean. They then put on cold water for to gather the butter. The butter is taken off with butter bats and then it is washed and salted. When all that is done it is made into pounds and then it is ready for use.
In olden times it was general for butter not to come on the churning no matter how long the people would keep churning. This was supposed to be the work of an evil spirit and it generally asumed the form of a hare. To put that right again the priest used to be called in.
In this district long ago there was a man whose cows began to give no milk. One night the man kept a watch and towards morning he saw a hare leave the cow-house. In all cases like that the people used to rightly suspect the evil one and is in the same(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Patrick J. O Reilly
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Tullyagan, Co. Cavan
- Informant
- James Coyle
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 60
- Address
- Dungummin Lower, Co. Cavan
