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School: Áth Dara (C.)

Location:
Adare, Co. Limerick
Teacher:
Máire Boardman
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0506, Page 087

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0506, Page 087

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  3. XML “Festival Customs - May Day”

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  1. Festival Customs - May Day

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    May Day.
    May day falls on the first of May and it is said to be the first day of summer.
    The day before May day is called May eve and on that day in Adare no Roman Catholic would dare to pick flowers because they say it is unlucky and that the fairies would come that night and revenge it on anybody that picked flowers on that day.
    On May eve the priest has always a large amount of holy water put in the chapel and each household brings a bottle of it home and sprinkles it all around the house so that no harms will come to them. This water is known as the May water.
    There are some Roman Catholics in Adare who would not stay out late on May eve night afraid the fairies would catch them.
    May day is not kept as a special day in Irleand at present but long ago people kept that day as a great day of enjoyment, because it is supposed to be the first day of summer and not so
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    History Edit
    Topics
    1. events
      1. events (by time of year) (~11,476)
        1. May (~639)
    Languages
    Irish
    English
    Collector
    Clarrie Alfred
    Gender
    Female
    Age
    14
    Address
    Cummeen, Co. Limerick