Some years ago my brother bought a fine cow at a fair. When she was brought home I remarked that she had a piece of brown rag tied round her tail. I asked what it meant, and was told that it was to prevent her being "overlooked," and the following "true" story was related by way of illustration.
A man had a cow that was celebrated far and near for the quantity of milk she gave. Suddenly the supply stopped; the cow's milk had been "taken" by somebody, but who could have done the deed? A rich but miserly neighbour was identified by the pishogue (i.e. wise woman) of the neighbourhood as having been the one to cast covetous eyes on the cow, and to transfer her milk to his own dairy. By the woman's advice a piece of his coat was surreptitiously procured and burned, the ashes carefully collected and tied round the cow's tail, when the charm was broken and her milk was restored to her.
Occasionally the butter refuses to come when the milk is being churned. The cause of this may be that the cow, the milk, or the cow's owner has been overlooked. If the culprit is suspected, a piece of homespun yarn must be taken out of his or her house "unbeknownst to them;" a long thread must be broken off and nine knots tied on. Then take the thread with the knots outside the house or dairy, break off the ninth knot, throw it over your left shoulder, then bring the remainder of the yarn back into the house; get an old horseshoe, make it "real hot, but not red hot," and put it with the yarn with the eight knots on it under the churn when they are churning, and this will bring the butter back.
If, however, the person who overlooked the milk is known, go to his field before sunrise (that is, if he has any land), and take three "nips" of grass; roll them up in a piece of cloth and hang it over the dairy door. This will prevent his again overlooking the milk. If he has no land, three straws pulled out of the thatch of his house will be found equally efficacious.
Some years ago there lived an old woman in the village of Drumconrath who was always sent for when the butter would not come. Our dispensary doctor told me that she used to walk three times round the churn widershin, i.e. against the sun's course, muttering some incantation in Irish, after which there was no more difficulty about the churning.
Any one coming into the kitchen or dairy when churning is
