School: An Gleantán, Lombardstown
- Location:
- Glantane, Co. Cork
- Teacher: Tomás Ó Colmáin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0362, Page 194
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- In this district (Glantane, Lombardstown, Co. Cork) about fifty years ago the boys used to come together on Christmas Day after dinner, and go "hunting the wren".
Each boy was provided with a stick or had a stone in each hand ready to throw it at the poor little bird when routed out of its hiding place.
The boys divided into two companies, one going along at each side of a hedge or fence of furze bushes. One or two of the boys in front at each side were told off as "beaters"; their duty being to strike each bush with the sticks as they went along and they generally accompanied the strokes with the cry "Hi, Dreoilín!"
When a wren was seen the shout "Here she is" was raised; each boy tried to knock the little bird with stick or stone. Everyone carefully noted the next resting place if the wren escaped the first volley, and so the pursuit was carried on until an dreoilín was killed or succeeded in concealing itself in a loose stone fence or a very thick hedge where it could not be found.
If they failed to kill the first one met(continues on next page)
- Collector
- T. Coleman
