School: Muine Dubh (Moneyduff) (roll number 9222)

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1. Folklore - Festival Customs

   

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   Saint Stephen's day.
   There are customs about St Stephens day, the wren boys go from house to house collecting money to bury the wren. First of all a crowd of schoolboys gather at a certain house and dress in old rags and straw, five or six of them go and they appoint a captain for carrying the money. He must be honest. They generally go out about seven oclock in the evening and do not come in until ten. One of them plays a Frenchfiddle and the others go out dancing. If they are not able to dance they start and sing, before they leave the house. They say this rhyme.
   "The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,
   St Stephen's day she was caught in the furze.
   Although she is small, her family is great.
   Rise up landlady and give us a thrate" (treat)
   They keep on gathering until they are on their way home then they count their money with the light out on the window of a house. The captain divides the money equally among themselves. In most cases the captain gets sixpence for himself for his trouble. The money is sometimes spent foolishly. The custom is still alive in the district.

   Saint Brigids Day
   It falls on the second of February, and she (St Brigid) said every other day from her day would be good and she said also there would be a cock-step on the manure heap from her day meaning the days would be getting longer. Also on St Brigids night the "bridgéog" comes out, the same

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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

   John Fowley

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Kilmore, Co. Leitrim

   Informant

   Mrs B. Fowley

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   42

   Address

   Kilmore, Co. Leitrim