May Morning

transcribed at

May Morning  [duchas:4690175]

Long ago in this district it was the custom on May Eve that some member of the family in every townland used to sit up all night at a well on their farm. Before proceeding to the well a ball of woollen thread to which a piece of string was attached was given to the person.
When the person was at the well he or she kept throwing the ball into it and repeating special words.
One May morning very early a man was going to the town of Sligo with a cart of turf. As he was half way between his home and Sligo, at a well convenient to the main road he saw a woman with a steel graip stirring the water. As she was doing this she was saying "all for me" "all for me".
The meaning of those words was that all the milk of the Parish was to

May Morning  [duchas:4690177]

come to her.
The man said for a joke "and the half for me." then he continued his journey to Sligo, sold the turf and came home.
His wife was churning when he returned and had very much trouble because she could not turn the dash, the churn was so full of butter.
She left the house and asked the people of the townland which of them lost their milk. None of them knew.
The man remembered the day he was going to Sligo and told his wife about it. Then the woman knew where the milk came from and told the whole story to the Priest.
He told her to bring some of the milk to him and he would bless it. She did so and then had her own milk inthe churn.