School: Durrus, Bantry (roll number 13023)

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1. Festival Customs

   

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   Festival Customs

   In this district the following customs are carried out on the feast days. On St Stephen's day, which comes on the following day after Christmas Day, about a dozen people, usually young men gather together and disguise themselves by colouring their faces, putting on ragged clothes and tying coloured papers to their hats and caps. They get a holly branch and decorate it, and tie a wren on it.

   In this fashion they from house to house singing the wren - song which is as follows: -

   The wren, the wren the King of all birds,
   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.
   And if you give us of the best,
   The hope in Heaven your soul will rest.
   But if you us of the smallest.
   It wont agree with those boys at all.
   Up with the kettle and down with the pan
   Give us our answer and let us be gone
   The wren, the wren as you may see
   Is guarded by the holly tree.
   The wren she says she is the King.
   The eagle says she's no such thing,

   (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)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Susannah Jane Puburn

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Dunbeacon, Co. Cork

   Informant

   John Pyburn

   Gender

   Male

   Address

   Dunbeacon, Co. Cork