Cures from Bygone Days in the Ballyshannon Area.

29th April 2020. Check out the cures, in his own handwriting, that Michael McGrath Carrickboy collected from his mother in the 1930s. The McGrath family are still well-known in the community. In the days before doctors and chemists were as plentiful as today, people relied on herbs and faith healing to cure their illnesses.  Below are  more cures which were also collected by primary school students from the older people in the 1930s in a nationwide folklore study.

30th April 2020. " Ballyshannon's Most Unusual Court Case and other Strange Tales"

Cures from Bygone Days in Ballyshannon 

In the days before doctors and chemists were as plentiful as today people relied on herbs and faith healing to cure their illnesses. Below are cures which were collected by school student from the old people in the 1930s in a folklore study. Naturally today there are medical remedies and advice for patients which was not available in bygone days and the cures below are not practised today.

Ringworm:  A cure for ringworm was to pass a wedding ring round it three times, reciting the prayer, in the name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Another cure for ringworm was to get some clay and mix it with spittle and then make a worm crawl around it on the floor. The clay was then rubbed on the ringworm and the worm was then made to crawl around the affected part. This was done three times. This cure was handed down from a man to a woman and from a woman to a man. 

Sprain: A sprain could be cured with woollen thread and by saying some prayers. The thread was twisted around the part where the sprain was and this was kept there for some days. Another cure for sprain was to make the sign of the cross two or three times on the forehead, then the person rubbed their hands on the ground and then rubbed the sprain and shortly afterwards the sprain disappeared. 

Mumps:  If a person had mumps he went to the seventh child in a family whose mother and father had the same name. This person put a donkey’s winkers on the person to be cured and led him to the river and gave him three drops of water. This treatment was performed for three consecutive days. 

A Stye in the Eye: If a person wished to be cured of a stye in the eye he got nine whitethorns of a gooseberry tree and pointed them at the sky. Then he would be cured. 

Toothache: The seventh son cured a toothache by rubbing it with his hand. One never got a toothache if one made a promise (such as not shaving on a Sunday) and never broke it.  A visit to the dentist was only for the well off but for a severe toothache the doctors in the 19th century had to bleed the gums with leeches.

Warts:  A cure for warts was to steal a piece of meat or bacon and rub it on the warts. The meat was then burned and as it rotted the warts would disappear. Another cure for warts was to wash them with water taken from a hole in a rock. 

Whooping Cough: When  a child had whooping, also called chin cough, an ass’s milk was considered a good remedy. 

A Cold: Mary Ann Sheil wrote about cures the people had for the common cold in the 1840s when they took jam drinks to alleviate the symptoms.

Natural Remedies: Garlic was considered good for colds and coughs. The juice of dandelion was considered good for cancer.  People boiled dandelion and gave the water to a person with a sick stomach. Bogbine was used for the good of the blood. Nettle tea was given to children with measles. Celery seeds when boiled and strained and then drunk were a cure for rheumatism. Roots of parsley when boiled and drunk were good for kidney disease.  

A Men Only Cure for Cows!  When a cow lost her milk she was said to be touched by the little people. She got dull and gave no milk. To cure her a red hot coal in the tongs was brought to the byre. This was passed over the cow from head to tail and then under her, coming out at her shoulder when a sign of the cross was made on her back. At the same time three Our Fathers and three Hail Marys were said. This was done three times on three different days. Then the cow would get her milk back.  For this cure to work the cow had to be kept in the byre all the time and the cure had to be made between sunrise and sunset and never on a Friday. Only men could make this cure! 

Limited edition quality hardback with dust jacket as above available when things return to normal in A Novel Idea and Local Hands Ballyshannon and Four Masters Bookshop Donegal Town. Also available for postage from anthonyrbegley@hotmail.com

Topics include: How to go about Tracing your Roots/The first settlers in the area/ Newly researched history of the town of Ballyshannon and the townlands in Kilbarron and Mágh Éne parishes/ Records of the first travellers and tourists to Ballyshannon, Bundoran, Belleek, Rossnowlagh and Ballintra/An aerial guide to place names along the Erne from Ballyshannon to the Bar/Flora and Fauna of the area/ A history of buildings and housing estates in the locality/Graveyard Inscriptions from the Abbey graveyard, St. Joseph’s and St. Anne’s /Rolling back the years with many memories of the Great Famine, Independence struggle, hydro-electric scheme, Gaelic games, boxing, handball, Boy Scouts, soccer, mummers, characters, organisations, folklore and lots more.