Some Characteristics of Irish Folklore. 26
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teriously from her dairy. Dairyman and dairywoman alike had but one explanation — fairies ; but investigation pro- vided very human origin for the loss, none other than the dairyman himself being proved the thief As for churning, if any one came in during the process and did not take a hand at the churn the fairies would at once send all the butter astray, and there would be no butter.
"If you put a gad just above the water level of a river or stream on May Eve," said Miss Hunt to me, "and go to look at it in the morning you will know if the year is to be a fat or a lean one. If the water has risen and touches the gad it will be a bad season and crops will be bad and cattle not thrive." ^^ This is a Cavan custom. In Co. Cork children go round on May Day with May baskets, gaily trimmed and decorated with flowers and bits of ribbon. In the basket is a saucer for coins, and the children beg a penny for the May basket. They do not sprinkle prim- roses, as they do in Counties Mayo, Cavan, etc.
As an instance of Calendar Custom in the making, it is of interest to note that primroses in Dublin are sold by the flower-girls on 19th April. It is "Primrose Day," and the proper thing is to sell and wear the flower. Needless to say they have not the faintest idea of the political signi- ficance attached to the wearing, or the flowers would be thrown tattered in the Liffey.
But I cannot attempt to recapitulate here all the May customs, and must pass on to my next lists, Midsummer and Hallowtide. Though there are bonfires, and also certain prohibitions governing fire on May Day, viz., it may not be given away,^^ must not be lit before noon, or till smoke is seen from the priest's house,-" etc. ; fires are of more general importance at the Midsummer festival, when flowers are less in evidence. At Midsummer cattle customs again are noticeably important. But not only cattle pass through the fires on St. John's Eve. Friends
^^ Wilde, Ancient Cures, p. 99. -" Wood Martin, vol. i. p. 2S2.
