School: Doirín an Lomáin (roll number 14235)
- Location:
- Derreennalomane, Co. Cork
- Teacher: Seán de Barra
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0293, Page 162
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The Wren Song - Ballydehob
“Come all you ladies and gentlemen, for tis here we came with our famous wran”
(par. of Schull, W.D.W. Carbery)
Version as sung about 40 yrs. ago. At that time "the fool" accompanied the wren boys. He was mounted on a donkey and carried a bladder tied to a stick.
I got the song from John Levis, Ballydehob, (34 years of age) who procured it from Jeremiah Driscoll, Ballydehob (age 64 yrs) who was an old wren boy. "Wren" is pronounced wran locally and in Ballydehob and surrounding districts.Come all you ladies and gentlemen,
For tis here we came with our famous wran
With a heart full of cheering for every man
To rise up a booze before the year is gone.Mr. - - we came to see,
With our wran so weak and feeble,
The wran is poor and we can't feed him,
So we hope your honour will relieve him.We've hunted our wran three miles and more,
We've hunted this wran all around Glandore,
Through hedges and ditches and fields so green,
And such fine sport was never seen.As we espied our wran again,(continues on next page)
- Collector
- J. Barry
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 54
- Occupation
- Teacher
- Address
- Derreennalomane, Co. Cork
- Informant
- John Laois
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 32
- Address
- Ballydehob, Co. Cork