School: Desart, Cill Choinnigh (roll number 3839)
- Location:
- Ballymack (Desart), Co. Kilkenny
- Teacher: Mary Commins
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0854, Page 110
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- XML “Festival Customs”
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- On St. Stephen's Day young boys and children go from house to house carrying a decorated holly-bush and all sorts of musical instruments - melodeons, harmonicas, violins, tambourines, bag-pipes and drums. They dress up in fantastic clothes and wear masks - called in this district "eye-fiddles" They generally get sixpence in every house. Every party gathers from one to three pounds. The money is generally spent on a dance.
On St. Brigid's Day the old people used to make a cross of straw and keep each one in the rafters as they years went by.
On Shrove Tuesday pancakes are made.
On Palm Sunday in olden times the old palm was burned and a cross made with the black stump on each person's right arm.
On May Day people used to tie coloured ribbons on the cow's tails. One family in this locality still keep up the custom(continues on next page)
