School: Cill Tártáin

Location:
Kiltartan, Co. Galway
Teacher:
Mícheál Ó Tuathaigh
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0047, Page 0049

Archival Reference

The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0047, Page 0049

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  1. XML School: Cill Tártáin
  2. XML Page 0049
  3. XML “Festival Customs - May Day”
  4. XML “Festival Customs - St Stephen's Day”

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  1. (continued from previous page)
    said that one of the horses fell and broke her leg. Ever since the farmers are afraid to go working in the clay and instead of working they go round and build the walls and close in the meadows.
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
  2. About three weeks before Christmas comes, a crowd of boys gather together every Sunday and go through the country killing birds, and searching for the wren especially. She is so small that it is hard to get her. When they have killed a number of birds, they bury them until St. Stephen's Day.
    On this day they get up early. They dress themselves up as "mummers". Some dress as police and others as old women. They blacken their faces and disguise themselves. Then they get a brush and tie the birds to it and go around playing musical instruments and singing the wren song, which goes as follows.
    "The wren the wren the king of all birds, St Stephen's day was caught in the furze.
    Up with the kettle; down with the pan. A penny or two pence to bury the wren."
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. events
      1. events (by time of year) (~11,476)
        1. Feast of St Stephen (~402)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Frank Deely
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Gort, Co. Galway