School: Cill Úird (B.)
- Location:
- Kilworth, Co. Cork
- Teacher: Pádraig Mac Suibhne
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0376, Page 205
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- XML School: Cill Úird (B.)
- XML Page 205
- XML “Hunting the Wren”
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On this page
- On St Stephen's day the youth of Kilworth hunt the wren. They gather together in one house and they dress themselves in old clothes and blacken their faces. Then they get a holly bush and dress it with ribbons of every hue.
When they are ready one boy brings the wren bush and another boy brings a little box. They go from door to door singing the following song,
I
"The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,
St Stephen's day he was caught in the furge.
We hunted him up and we hunted him down
Till one of our wren boys knocked him down.
II
Here he's here as you may see,
Hanging off a holly tree.
A bunch of ribbons by his side,
The Kilworth boys to be his guide.
III
Up with the kettle and down with the pan.
Give us our answer and let us be gone.
If your answer is too small that will not do the wren boys at all,
If your answer is the best I hope in heaven your soul will rest."(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Thomas Cotter
- Gender
- Male
