Farm related "cures"

amadangomor

gooseygander wrote: »

Another mad idea my auld fellow had was to place a St Bridgets straw cross in the corner of the shed where a wild cow/bullock was housed. He recently tried it again earlier this year for a mad yoke that would scale a 12 foot wall to get away from you. Needless to say poor St Bridget could not even tame this yoke and was shipped off to the factory at a loss having risked my life to try load the beast.

Interesting the use of St. Bridgets cross as St. Bridget was probaly a Christian representation of a Celtic goddess.

These traditions probably go back to pagan times.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigid

squinn2912

Jjameson wrote: »

In my fathers youth when cattle were going out of the house in may, the yearlings would be “hobbled”, bulls were castrated and a piece of copper wire pushed through the dewlap and well tied to keep away blackleg diseases. A v cut in each ones ear as the identity mark, every neighbour done a different cut.

The tradition was so old the reason or origin was forgotten but a local folklorist told me that way back they believed the fairies feared the metal wire and let the animal be. The cutting of the ear was dually letting of a little bit of blood for piseog as well as identity.
This would of been in the 50’s.

The turn of the a triangular cut sod and sign of the cross, marked by the trod of a lame hoof for “fouls“

Bluestone, Epsom salts, parrafin oil,
Porter, poitin , lard, all things most farmers had at their disposal
however my great grandfather had a insteps knowledge of plants. Herbs roots and all kinds for man and beast but were all made irrelevant by massive advances in conventional treatments.

Yep we still use the turning of the sod for a foul here.

jill_valentine

amadangomor wrote: »

Interesting the use of St. Bridgets cross as St. Bridget was probaly a Christian representation of a Celtic goddess.

These traditions probably go back to pagan times.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigid

I've another interesting one for you - my flatmate's from Haiti, where Brigid is a feature of Voodoo, with a lot of the same associations as in Ireland.

So she's made herself a feature of at least three quite distinct religions largely intact.

Kevhog1988

Say my name wrote: »

The relationship between old ira and church of Ireland people especially poorer members of church of Ireland landowners wouldn't surprise a few historians.

Kind of a cure. Cobwebs were put on skulled cattle to stop excessive bleeding.

I would read a good bit about the war of independence and have seen a good bit of similar stories.

kk.man

squinn2912 wrote: »

Yep we still use the turning of the sod for a foul here.

I do the same for lame cattle and it works.