Jack and his dog, Barney were out turf cutting in Fermanagh when they came across a huge ball. Taking it home in a wheelbarrow it was received with little enthusiasm by Jack’s wife, Bridget. Having probed it with a knitting needle, Bridget realised that it might have some importance after all.
Word of the creamy stuff spread. The Shannons had many visitors to look at the butter ball. Eventually they donated it to the Fermanagh County Museum. It was carbon dated by Queen’s University Belfast who established that it is about a thousand years old. In the 11th century AD butter would have been a luxury item and an important part of people’s diet.
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