School: Carrigaline (B.) (roll number 13512)
- Location:
- Carrigaline, Co. Cork
- Teacher: John Wrin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0392, Page 007
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- XML School: Carrigaline (B.)
- XML Page 007
- XML “St Stephen's Day”
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On this page
- On Christmas Day night a crowd of boys go out the country to kill a wren. When the wren is killed it is tied to the highest branch of a holly-bush. The boys decorate the holly-bush with coloured papers.
On St. Stephen's Day the boys disguise themselves. They dress themselves in torn clothes, and put masks on their faces. One boy carries a small box, and the others carry the "wren-bush" in their turns. They go from house to house singing a song about the wren. The boy with the box holds out the box, and the people of every house put a few pence in it. The song which the "wren-boys" sing is:
The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,
St. Stephen's Day he was caught in the furze,
From bush to bush, from tree to tree,
And up in Mount Rivers, he broke his knee.
I have a little box under my arm,
Two or three pence will do it no harm,
Whoever fills the box the best
Up in Heaven his soul will rest,(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Peter Collins
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Carrigaline, Co. Cork
- Informant
- Mrs Mary Collins
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 60
- Address
- Carrigaline, Co. Cork
