School: Glaise Buí, Malla
- Location:
- Glashaboy East, Co. Cork
- Teacher: Conchobhar Ó Drisceoil
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0364, Page 162
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- XML “Bird-Lore”
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- Bird Lore.
Birds often give us a good idea of the weather. The crows fly very low and the seagulls fly inland before rain. There are a lot of stories connected with the birds. It is said that the robin got a red breast because it saw Christ die. While it was looking up at Our Lord dying on the Cross a drop of blood fell on the robin's breast and from that time onward the robin has a red breast. There is a little verse about the robin redbreast:-
"Holy, Holy, Holy,
A wee brown bird am I,
But my breast is ruddy,
Because I saw Christ die."
It is said too that one day St Stephen was escaping from soldiers and he hid on a tree in which there was a wren. The soldiers lay down by the same tree to rest and the little wren got frightened and flew away. The soldiers heard the noise and looked up and they were astonished to see St Stephen up on the tree. They brought him down and killed him with stones and ever since then the boys chase the wren on St Stephen's day.
Mrs Dan Cremin
Knockawaddra.
- Informant
- Mrs Dan Cremin
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Knockavaddra, Co. Cork
