School: Gormanstown, Árd Fhíonáin (roll number 5615)

Location:
Gormanstown, Co. Tipperary
Teacher:
Peadar de Mhóiréis
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0572, Page 444

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0572, Page 444

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  1. XML School: Gormanstown, Árd Fhíonáin
  2. XML Page 444
  3. XML “Wren Boys”

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  1. Wren Boys
    On St. Stephen's Day every year boys and young men have great fun. They go about as Wren Boys. they dress themselves up in old cloths and put masks on their faces so that no one would know them. They spend the day going about from house to house. They have musical instruments of different kinds and at each house they play music and sing and dance. One of the boys carries a holly bush dressed with coloured ribbons and with a dead wren hanging on it. The boy who carries the bush is called the king of the Wren Boys. When the music and dancing is over the king of the Wren Boys steps forward with the bush and recites some verses such as the following.
    I
    The wren, the wren, the king of all birds
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. events
      1. events (by time of year) (~11,476)
        1. Feast of St Stephen (~402)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Maureen Marsh
    Gender
    Female
    Informant
    Mr P. Marsh
    Gender
    Male
    Address
    Gormanstown, Co. Tipperary