School: Clochar na Trocaire
- Location:
- Tuam, Co. Galway
- Teacher: an tSiúr M. Oilibhéir
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0027, Page 0084
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- XML School: Clochar na Trocaire
- XML Page 0084
- XML “May Day”
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- Long ago in Ireland May day was looked upon as one of the most principal festival day of the year. On May morning a Maybush was placed outside each house . It usually was a yellow furze bush with a number of eggshells stuck on the thorns. On this morning it was the custom to get up before sunrise and put a bundle of sticks in a gap where the cows passed , this guaranteed good supply of butter for the year also to get a "gadan caorach"(a kind of herb), this was twined around the handle of the can . Any person entering the house and milk being churned had to give three twins to the handle as otherwise he wood would take the butter away with him. To wash your face with the dew on this morning saved you from sunburn during the summer. Milk would not be given to any outsiders on may day or neither would a man be allowed to take a coal to light his pipe as if this was allowed the butter would be taken away. A number of youths dressed up with all kinds of coloured ribbons toured the village camping a daily coloured may pole those were known as ribbins boys . If delicate person got a bad turn on may (dad) day there was little hope(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Vera Mc Grath
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Tuam, Co. Galway
- Informant
- Mrs Mc Grath
- Relation
- Parent
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Tuam, Co. Galway
