School: An Caiseal Árd (roll number 16442)
- Location:
- Cashelard, Co. Donegal
- Teacher: Pádraic M. Mac Gongail
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1030, Page 106
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- In our district festivals are celebrated by strange customs. On New Year’s Eve we are not supposed to (not) throw out water. On St. Brigid’s day crosses are made in her honour to protect the house from the fairies during the year, also on the night of this feast people are supposed to hang out a piece of cloth on a tree because it is said that there is a cure in it for the headache and the toothache. This is called Bratach Brighthe. On May Eve people say that the first person to lift a bucket of water from the nearest well will get the best benefit of it during the whole year round. May flowers are also gathered and strewn at the doors and windows to keep bad luck away from the house during the year round. On bonfire night the twenty third of June people gather from the surrounding district, and build a pile of turf and hay and sticks. Then they light it and sing and dance around it the whole night. When it burns down everybody brings home a goal and puts it into the crop so to have a good crop that year. In our district people are told not to throw out any water on All Souls’ Night because it is said that the souls are flying about that(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Michael Smith
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Corlea, Co. Donegal
