School: Baile na Cille (roll number 1320)

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1. Festival Customs (continued)

   

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   sometimes dance. When the fires are nearly worn out each person brings a sod of turf or a piece of timber from the fire home with them for luck.

   On St. Stephen's Day numbers of young men go out as Wren boys. Two men dress in old clothes, hats, false faces and coloured ribbons. They go about from house to house collecting money. When they come to the door they say
   "The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,
   On St. Stephen's Day she was caught in the furze,
   Although she is small, her family is great,
   Then up with the kettle and down with the pan,
   And give some money to bury the wren.

   They rush into the kitchens and musicians play for them while they dance.

   A few days after they buy food and drink and they hold a dance. They invite the people from whom they got money.

   On November Eve children have great fun games playing games. They hang an apple from the ceiling and everytime they make an attempt to catch it, it moves away. They get a bath of water and put two or three apples floating on the

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. events
      1. events (by time of year) (~11,476)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Eileen Dervan

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Burroge, Co. Galway