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School: Móta Ghráinne Óige

Location:
Woodlawn, Co. Galway
Teacher:
Eibhlís Ní Innse
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0045, Page 0189

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0045, Page 0189

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  1. XML School: Móta Ghráinne Óige
  2. XML Page 0189
  3. XML “Customs”

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  1. Customs

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    People light a fire on St. Johns Eve outside the houses in their (the Woodlawn School) district with sticks and turf and they never neglect to put pieces of furze in it. They also throw a bone into it. This is done in honour of St. John.
    Some of the fire is thrown over the ditch into fields and gardens where there are crops so that St.John will send abundant crops in the harvest.
    It is supposed to be right and proper to sweep the hearth cleanly before people retire at night, leave the tongs at the right hand side of the fire in case the fairies should come in, because it would be easy for them to kindle a fire.
    It is not right to look in a window Nov. Night because if the wind changed while one is doing so, he would go off his head.
    When a tooth falls out a person should throw it over the left shoulder so that it would grow again.
    It is right to say "God bless us" when a person sneezes or that person would go in the fairies.
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    History Edit
    Topics
    1. genre
      1. belief (~391)
        1. folk belief (~2,535)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Eibhlín Ní Innse
    Gender
    Female
    Occupation
    Múinteoir