School: St Egney's (C.), Buncrana
- Location:
- Buncrana, Co. Donegal
- Teacher: Ellen Daly
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1112, Page 409
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- St. Brigid’s day is on the 1st of February. The usual custom in this Parish is making crosses from straw and rushes. In olden times before you would make the crosses from the rushes you would spread the rushes on the floor, and you would place a pot of poundies on the top of the rushes. Then when you had the poundies bruised for dinner you gather up the rushes in little bundles for making the crosses. When the crosses were made they were sprinkled with holy-water, and one was put up in what ever houses you had. We make St. Brigid’s cross in honour of her. It is made with straw, and sometimes rushes. There are two kind of crosses made in honour of her. The large cross is made with two sticks crossed, and straw or rushes are put round, and round these sticks till the cross is shaped. The small cross is made without sticks, and there are equal sized arms made in it, and it is made much in the same way as the long one. When these crosses are made the largest is kept for the dwelling house, and the small(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Mary Mc Cullough
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Dunree, Co. Donegal
- Informant
- Mrs Mc Cullough
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- 40
- Address
- Dunree, Co. Donegal
