School: Dromcollchoille (B.)
- Location:
- Dromcolliher, Co. Limerick
- Teacher: Pádraig Ó Mathghamhna
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0497, Page 043
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- The wren day falls on the 26th of December. On that day, boys go out in a procession, hunting the wren. They dress themselves up in different kinds of clothes, and play music. One of them plays carries a holly bush, dressed with ribbons, and a dead wren tied to one end of its branches. The man with the bush is always cashkeeper.
An old story says, that the start of hunting the wren was, that, when the Danes were in Ireland, and Irish army were in ambush to attack the Danes, and a wren flew on a drum, and made a noise on it. When the Danes heard the noise, they knew that they were to be attacked, and they got ready. Then the Irish army killed the wren, and tied him on a holly bush. That is the custom ever since.
When the wren boys go to a house, they sing a song about the wren. Nearly every batch sings a different song. One of them is
The wren, the wren, the king of all birds
On St, Stephen’s Day he was caught in the furze
I followed my wren through frost and snow,
I followed my wren, five miles and more(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Donal Linehan
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Carroward East, Co. Limerick
- Informant
- Mrs Linehan
- Gender
- Female
- Age
- c. 55
- Address
- Carroward East, Co. Limerick
