Mooney.J iOU [April 15, 



operation repeated, and on removing the cloth a part of the meal was gone, 

 but not so much as the first time. Once more the tumbler was filled and 

 applied as before, and this time, on removing the cloth, there was hardly 

 a depression in the surface of the meal, and the woman pronounced the 

 ■cure complete. The girl's friend, who had looked on with wonder, now 

 asked what had become of the meal. The woman replied, "I gave that 

 to the worms that were eating her heart." In some cases the three oper- 

 ations are repeated on as many consecutive days. 



For worms an amulet is worn, which consists of a small piece of paper 

 on which is written a charm. The bean feasac , holding this paper in her 

 hand, kneels down and recites a prayer, and the paper is then sewn into 

 a covering of red woolen (flannel) cloth, of three-cornered shape, and 

 worn about the neck. 



Cramp is caused by worms, which twist themselves into a knot about 

 the intestines. For this trouble, in men or animals, a string is tied with 

 a peculiar triple knot, known as snaid'm na juiste,^ or "the worm's 

 knot,'' in such a manner that on pulling the ends of the string the knot 

 is undone. The sutterer is struck on the stomach or back several times 

 with the string, before and after knotting it, the name of the Trinity being 

 invoked at each blow. In Kerry it is merely placed upon the stomach of 

 the patient, and the ends pulled so as to undo the knot. Any one subject 

 to cramps will be cured by making the sign of the cross three times on his 

 stomach on seeing a rainbow. 



For convulsions in children it is sometimes customary in the County 

 Galway to use a preparation of charcoal made by burning and pulverizing 

 the bones of an infant which has died before baptism. 



Boils, however swollen and painful, may be cured by a blacksmith who 

 is the seventh son of a blacksmith. It is only necessary that he shall open 

 and shut his tongs three times in front of the boil, without touching it. 

 The seventh son has generally great power over disease. 



The ringiDorm is called tdne-d'iad'a,\ or the " divine fire," and is cured 

 in a number of ways. Perhaps the most common method is to rub the 

 inflamed spot three times with a ring or other article of gold, or with a 

 live coal of fire, saying at the same time, O'ugat \\ a teine, \\ a feine-d'iad'a.X 

 " Beware of the fire, teine- d'iad'a," the gold or coal of fire being applied 

 as each of the principal words is being pronounced. The operation is 

 repeated three times, making nine applications in all. Another method is 

 to apply the blood of a black cat, and in some houses there are cats whose 

 «ars have been cut away by piecemeal for this purpose. Black and red 

 (the color of fire) are the principal colors of Irish mythology. Another 

 method is to write around the ringworm the full name of the suff"erer, 



* Pronounced sneem na paeshcha. 



t Pronounced chinnee-yea. 



X Pronounced h&gath a chinnee, a hinnee-yea. 



