School: Tamney (Robertson)
- Location:
- Tawny, Co. Donegal
- Teacher: Mrs Kyle
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1090, Page 354
Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.
See copyright details.
DownloadOpen data
Available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Note: We will soon deprecate our XML Application Programming Interface and a new, comprehensive JSON API will be made available. Keep an eye on our website for further details.
On this page
- The 23rd June is Mid Summer Eve. On that night we see Bonfires on all the hills.This custom has come down to us from the time the Irish were Pagans and worshipped the Sun.It was not the people of Ireland alone put up Bonfires.The people of Sweden and Norway put up Bonfires too. The people of Sweden and Norway go up to hills and put up Bonfires and play a melodeon and they dance to it.Those people do not see the sun for many months. They are so glad to catch a glimpse of the sun once more that they welcome it with fires, songs and dances.
The custom still remains in Ireland of lighting fires on the tops of hills in honour of the sun.The people say that the sun is worthy of honour, for if its light was withdrawn, it would mean an end of all vegetable and animal life on this earth.On midsummer night the ancient Irish had a belief which still(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Sarah Thompson
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 12
- Informant
- Hugh Thompson
- Relation
- Parent
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 67
- Address
- Moross, Co. Donegal
