School: Maghcromtha (B.)
- Location:
- Macroom, Co. Cork
- Teacher: Pádraig Ó Deasmhumhna
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0342, Page 200
Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.
See copyright details.
Download
Open data
Available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
- XML School: Maghcromtha (B.)
- XML Page 200
- XML (no title)
Note: We will soon deprecate our XML Application Programming Interface and a new, comprehensive JSON API will be made available. Keep an eye on our website for further details.
On this page
(no title) (continued)
“Matchmaking" is still very common in this district.”
(continued from previous page)At the appointed day, some male friends or relatives go to “see the land”. They walk all the fields, perhaps dig some land here and there, count the cattle, pigs etc, survey the dwelling house, out-offices, fences etc., and if satisfactory the match is made.
The next step is to go to the attorney’s office, and get the necessary legal agreements written and signed. The priest is then seen, and arrangments are made for the wedding - if there is to be a wedding.
The interval between seeing the land and going to the attorney’s office is the more dangerous time, as very often the match is “broke” for one reason or another.
After the narriage there is the “hauling home”. After a week or so, the newly made wife visits her parents home, for clothes etc,.
The “strawboys” do not come as far as Macroom, but they have often made their appearance a few parishes to the West, e.g. Ballyvourney, to which they have come from over the Kerry border.(continues on next page)