School: Leac Snámha (B.) (roll number 10957)

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1. Festival Customs

   

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   In this district people observe feasts in certain ways. On Saint Stephen's day young boys and young men go around with the wren. They get masks called "Hy-fiddles" and put them on their faces and go around from house to house. When they go in to a house they sing a song about the wren. This is the usual song they sing:- The wren, the wren, the king of all birds, On Saint Stephen's day, he was caught in the furze. Although he being little, his family are great. Cheer up landlady, and give us a treat. When the young boys have a sum of money gathered they divide it between them and they buy sweets and cakes for it and sometimes they make up for a football or a set of hurlers. When they are going around the leader has a bunch of holly in his hand and a wren tied to it. The musical instruments they have are mouth-organs and a fiddle. When the men have

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   Topics

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

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Maurice Mc Auliffe

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Ballintogher, Co. Kerry

   Informant

   Maurice Heffernan

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Ballintogher, Co. Kerry