School: Gurranes, Bandon

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1. St John's Eve and Bonfires

   

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   Bonfires are still kept up and in one family the farmer or his wife jump over the red embers for luck. The wife Mrs Murphy takes a kindled stick and ashes to each field where a crop is growing i.e. corn, wheat, potatoes and roots. This red ash is supposed to banish the fairies and keep the crop from being blighted. In other parts the people dance around the fire and in Mayo a boy who has a wish to marry a neighbouring girl is particular to catch her hands and dance around the fire hoping to be lucky in this way of getting the colleen.

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   Topics

   1. events
      1. events (by time of year) (~11,476)
         1. Feast of St John (~208)

   Language

   English

2. May Morning

   

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   On May morning a few people go out before sunrise to wash their faces in the dew. This is supposed to keep them from headaches for the year (Mrs Collins Gurranes)
   "Taking The Milk" was very prevelant for some miles around & oftentimes a man or woman has been pointed out to me as the son or daughter of Maura or Cait such a one. Her mother was able to take the good of the milk from her neighbours
   Spancels (= short bits of rope for tying the hind legs of the cow). Milking pails & stools are put carefully into the dwelling house on May eve night, never kept in the stall

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

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