School: Ballyadams (roll number 894)

Location:
Ballyadams, Co. Laois
Teacher:
P. Ó Bruadair
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0836, Page 112

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0836, Page 112

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  1. XML School: Ballyadams
  2. XML Page 112
  3. XML “St Stephen's Day - The Wren Boys”

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  1. In this part of the country young boys go with the "Wren on St Stephen's Day. They get a branch of a tree not very large and bend the smaller shoots into loops on the main branch. They then wrap the entire branch in coloured paper so that none of the timber can be seen.
    Streamers are then tied on to it and a piece of Holly. Each boy has a "Wren" bush as this branch is called. Sometimes an ordinary branch of a Holly tree preferably with berries is carried round instead of a decorated branch.
    The boys go to the doors of the houses. When they go to the door of each house they begin to chant the Rhynie
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. events
      1. events (by time of year) (~11,476)
        1. Feast of St Stephen (~402)
    Language
    English