School: O'Brennan, Baile Mhic Ealgóid, Tráighlí

On this page

1. Festival Customs - St Stephen's Day

   

   Share Share Post

   St Stephen's day falls on the day after Xmas Day. It is called "The Wren's Day" because young boys and girls travel round the countryside going from door to door gathering money "to bury the Wren" which they killed the evening previous. Even this old custom is carried out to the present day. The young people dress up in a comical way. They get a branch of holly and tie a wren to it. They gather in crowds, perhaps five or six people together, most of them having musical instruments e.g. mouth organs, flutes, melodeons, etc. When they arrive at a house, they start playing music, and sing songs - about the wren (not done at present).

   "The Wren, the Wren the King of all birds,
   On St. Stephen's day he was caught in the furze
   Although he is little, his family is great,
   Rise up landlady and give us a trate (treat)
   Up with the kettle, and down with the pan,
   A penny or two to bury the wran (wren)"

   
   or sometimes locally:-

   "As I was going to Chutchall (?)
   I saw a wren upon the wall
   Up with my cock stick
   And gave him a fall
   And brought him hither
   To visit ye all"

   
   The people of the house gives them money, and in the evening the "wren boys" divide the money (which they gathered during the day) between them.

   My father told me that when he was a child he remembers the boys of the village or perhaps of every two villages combined forming a "wren". They made great preparation for this event. They made a "Láir Bhán" or white horse of a frame and lattice work - a neck of the handle of a brush and a head carved

   (continues on next page)

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. events
      1. events (by time of year) (~11,476)
         1. Feast of St Stephen (~402)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Aine Lynch

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Ballynahinch, Co. Kerry