Collectanea. 457
Dairy Folklore, and other Notes from Meath and
TiPPERARY.
Most of the following superstitions have long been familiar to me, but one or two I have only lately heard. Our cook is a mine of wealth as far as folklore is concerned, and, like myself, she comes from county Meath, so she is able to confirm my testimony as to Meath superstitions.
It must be remembered that from the very earliest times Ireland was noted for cattle, and Meath, with its rich pasture-land, is still an essentially grazing county ; therefore nearly all charms and superstitions deal chiefly with good or bad luck with cows, milk, and butter.
With Irish peasants May Day is very important, as the good or bad luck of the year depends much on various points to be care- fully observed then.
On May Eve the threshold must be strewn with " May-flowers " (marsh-marigolds). On last May Eve, only a few days ago, I saw our cook coming in with a great bunch of May-flowers, which she told me she intended strewing on the thresholds of all the entrance doors of the house, as, being May Eve, the fairies would have great power, and the May-flowers are a potent charm to prevent their entering the house. " Besides," she said, " whoever comes across the threshold, particularly that of the kitchen, must step on the flowers, and bring good luck and plenty of butter to the house."
One should always try to be the first to draw water at a well or spring on May morning. It brings good luck to the house, and plenty of butter all the year.
No one (who keeps cows) likes to be the first in the neighbour- hood to light his fire on May morning, as the witches (not the fairies) take the first smoke that appears, to work spells where- with to take the butter off the milk for the whole year.
It is very unlucky to take fire out of a house on May morning. If a passer-by wants a light for his pipe, he must not carry away the sod of turf. If he does, he must bring another to replace it.
The belief that certain evil-minded persons are able to " over- look" those they wish to injure, or their possessions, is as universal in Ireland as the dread of the evil eye is in Italy.
