THE BEWITCHED BUTTER: Once on a time there lived in the parish of Fenagh a family whose supply of milk invariably turned sour, and no butter was to be obtained. It chanced that there came to them one day an old traveller who asked for a drink. "Well," said the woman of the house, "I cannot give you milk, for all we have is bad." "How is that?" said the traveller. So he was told all they knew about the matter. "If you give me a lodging this night, " said he, "I will get your butter back for you," and thinking things could not be much worse, they let him remain. After sunset the traveller barred every door and window in the place, and made a great fire of turf, and in the fire he placed nine irons. Now, as the irons got hot, a loud roaring was heard without and an old woman who dwelt near was seen beating at the door and windows and shouting to be let in. "Take the irons from the fire, they have me burnt!" she said. But the traveller answered that until she brought b! ack the butter she had taken the irons would remain in the fire to burn her. Then she tore around the house in a fury, and got upon the roof to try and get in that way to take the irons from the fire; but finding it was useless, she went home, roaring all the time for the pain she was in, and brought the butter in a barrel to the door, upon which the irons were taken from the fire, and she was released. From that time the family had no cause to complain of their milk." This story was recorded by photographer, historian and folklorist, Leland Lewis DUNCAN (born on 24 August 1862 in Lewisham, Kent, England, the eldest child and only son of Leland Crosthwait DUNCAN and Caroline Ellen LEWIS) in the 1880s when he was visiting his cousins, the SLACKE's of Annadale, Co. Leitrim, members of the landed gentry. Leland Lewis DUNCAN's wonderful collection of stories and more than 100 photographs of Co. Leitrim (the gentry, town, impoverished peasants) were published in the book, "The Face Of Time Photographs of Co. Leitrim," by Leland Lewis Duncan (text by Liam Kelly/forward by John McGahern) pub. 1995, Lilliput Press). Note, iron was felt to have "protective" properties, and apparently iron implements were placed over cradles to keep the fairies from "stealing" children and leaving "changelings" in their stead.