The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0026, Page 0190
Collector: Patrick Healy 3rd May, 1958. Barnaderg, N.S. Co. Galway
You all know May is the month of the fairies. Great people or men that lived long ago rises from their graves on every night in the month of May to fight the old battles that they fought long ago these men are called fairies. The bad fairies do great harm and trouble in the month of May they kill cattle take away milk and butter from the cows and a lot of other mischief. The first three days of May is very dangerous for cattle. The fairies takes away the butter and milk from them and cause them to do mischief such as to kick the milk-pail to follow the milkmaid and so on. Every night or evening the milkmaid should make the sign of the cross on the cow’s back with the froth of the milk; this will prevent the fairies from causing mischief to the cows – or to tie a bunch of primroses to the cow’s tail after sun-set or to drive your cattle through hot embers of a fire.
The fairies come around our house’s too to do mischief as well as they come to the cattle; you should sweep the hearth very clean and leave food aside for them. If you don’t: the fairies will come when you are asleep and will torment you by tricking you or pinching you: And if you want to keep out the fairies: scatter the threshold of the door when you are to bed with primroses or hang a horse-shoe over the door:
You should not go alone through hills or forth’s (sic) or lonely places for fear of the fairies might take you away or listen to any sweet singing in lonely places for these are fairies Don’t leave any food over from May Eve it should be thrown away or given to the dog’s because the fairies takes away the good food and leave bad food instead.
On May morning early it is a great custom which is still practised by a lot of people to go out early in the first morning in the month of May to a clover field and roll yourself in the dew. This roll in the dew will prevent you from get colds during the year around. There was a great custom practiced long ago which very seldom you hear about it now – no one in any parish is allowed to light a fire in the house in the morning until they would see the smoke rising from the chimney of the priest’s house first. This old custom resembles some old sacrifice or worship offered long ago by druids or some greats saints as St Patrick.
A host of other’s;
(1) On May morning before sun-rise go out in the garden and the first snail you see pick it up and put it in a plate; then sprinkle the plate lightly with flour and place a cabbage leaf over it and when the sun is setting in the evening you will find the name of the girl whom you are going to marry in the flour?
(2) Then if the snail is quite within his house or shell, when you take the plate up the girl will be rich?
(3) And if the snail is out of his shell when you take it up; the wife will be poor and probably you may be out of your house too or have no house to take you in when you get married.
The Burren and Beyond 