School: Mastersons (roll number 8390)
- Location:
- Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim
- Teacher: Gobnait de Búit
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0197, Page 235
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- XML “Hallow Eve”
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- On Hallows Eve night many tricks were played over 50 years ago. I remember seeing boys and girls melting lead in a pot and pouring it through the eye of a key into a bucket of water. The shape of the lead was supported to foretell the failure of whoever poured it into the water. For instance if any of the lead poured in by a girl had any resemblance to a ring she was to get married. If a boy's lead came out in a long thin piece it was supposed to resemble a sword and he would be a fighter etc.
At sundown a boy or girl went to a field, pulled a bunch of yarrow and hid it in some convenient place and then at twelve o'clock he or she put it under their pillow after repeating first
Good morrow fair
Thrice a good morrow to thee,
Before this time tomorrow,
I hope to see my true lover whoever he'll be,
The colour of his hair, the clothes he will wear,
And when he'll be married to me.
(The boy of course changed the word to suit hair-as colour of her hair)
After the yarrow was put under the pillow no word could be spoken or the spell would be broken.
A girl got a skein of yarn and went to a limekiln Here she let one end of the yarn down into the(continues on next page)
