School: An Chill, Dúngarbhán (roll number 630 or 16748)

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1. Wedding Customs

   

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   Wedding Customs
   If a certain boy wanted to marry a girl he would tell his parents. The parents would get a few friends and go to the girl’s house taking with them a few bottles of whiskey. They would talk to the girl and her parents for a few hours. Then one of the boy’s friends would tell the girl that it was time for her to get married and that he and his friends would make a match for her. They would tell her the boy’s name and if she agreed to marry him they would arrange the day of the wedding.
   At Shrove people generally got married. They thought it lucky to marry in July, but very unlucky to marry in May and September. In the church they were always married. The bridegroom usually wore a swallow-tailed coat, grey trousers, and a hat. In a horse and trap they went to, and returned from the church. The wedding feast was held at the bridegroom’s house. The barn was swept clean, and the walls decorated with coloured paper an laurels. There were barrels of beer in the corner of the barn and a man giving it out. There were four men playing fiddle and the people who were invited danced.
   After a few hours dancing they all went into the house where a great feast was laid out. It nearly always consisted of bread, tea, meat, cabbage, and beer.
   The straw boys were local lads that were not invited to the wedding, but used to dress up and disguise themselves in old garments covered with straw, and go to the wedding and eat and drink all they got.
   Thomas McGrath
   Mrs. Brennan told me 68 years of age.

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. social activities (~7)
         1. rites of passage (~573)
            1. marriage (~4,283)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Thomas Mc Grath

   Gender

   Male

   Informant

   Mrs Brennan

   Relation

   Unknown

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   68