School: Cabra, Kingscourt

Location:
Cabra, Co. Cavan
Teacher:
Violet Irwin
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1008, Page 170

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1008, Page 170

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  1. XML School: Cabra, Kingscourt
  2. XML Page 170
  3. XML “Churning”

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  1. We have a churn at home. It is three feet in height. It is twenty-two inches at the top and twenty-five at the bottom. The sides are round. It is twenty years since we got it. The various parts are called the staves, the top part is called the crib and there are hoops to keep it together.
    There is butter made twice a week in the summer and once in the winter. Mother and Father do the churching and strangers come in and help when they want butter or butter-milk. It takes an hour to do the churning. It is done by hand and the churn-dash is moved up and down. When the butter and butter-milk go off the church-dash, the butter is ready to be taken off the churn. When the weather is cold, hot water is put on to bring it to churning heat. When the weather is hot, cold water is put on the church.
    The butter is lifted off by a butter spade and put into a wooden dish. The butter is washed, salted and washed again. it is taken out and beaten on a trencher and made into rolls.
    The butter-milk is used for baking.
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. activities
      1. economic activities
        1. agriculture (~2,659)
          1. butter and churns (~3,280)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Olive Shannon
    Gender
    Female