School: Cill Bhriotáin (C.) (roll number 11728)
- Location:
- Kilbrittain, Co. Cork
- Teacher: Cáit de Búrca
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0313, Page 319
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- XML “Wakes”
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- Wakes:
The corpse was laid out on the kitchen table and a long seat was placed quite close to it; on this form the women sat. Five or six times during the night they stood up to "caoin" the dead person in chorus, when they stopped on woman took it up and continued "caoining" for about twenty minutes.
The Minihane family of Baurleigh were all great "caoiners". One of them was known as "Molly an Chaointe" and the following piece was chanted by her when Charles Dineen, Gareendruig, Kilbrittain was being waked:
"..... Do thiocfadh chúgat capall agus fiche,
Agus cúlóg ag gach nduine;
Mar tá a gcapall súd gan cruidte,
A ndiallaití súd briste
Agus a ngiortaí leo ar sileadh."
This is only a fragment of a very long "caoineadh": I have not been able to get the rest of it.
While the women sat on form the men were reclining on the straw-covered floor. Some slept; others played games-"Hide the halfpenny". The players sat in a circle with hands, joined one person had a halfpenny between his hands and going from player to player he pretended to drop it between each ones hands so that nobody knows who has it. When finished each player is asked "Who has the halfpenny." If he gives the(continues on next page)
