School: Knockcommon (roll number 16549)

On this page

1. Festival Customs (continued)

   

   Share Share Post

   (continued from previous page)

   St. Stephen's Day

   An old custom connected with St. Stephen's Day is the hunting of the wren. First of all a wren is caught and hung on a piece of holly. Then the boys go round to the houses singing :-

   "The wren, the wren, the King of all birds,
   On St. Stephen's Day he was caught in the furze,
   Although he is small his family is great
   So rise up Mrs. ___ and give us a "trate'".

   Another song is sung much the same as the first one which is as follows :-

   "The wren, the wren, the King of all birds,
   On St. Stephen's Day he was caught in the furze,
   He dipped his wing in a barrel of beer,
   And wished us all a happy 'new year'."

   When they have all the houses in the locality visited they go into one of the local shops and buy minerals, biscuits and sweets and have a kind of a feast with the money they got.

   Feast of the Assumption

   Every 15th of August there is a pilgrimage to Lady Well in Slane. Some years ago a man built a dog kennel over the Well to the castle grounds in Slane. But that night the Well sprang up in a different place. Very soon the Slane people began to have great

   (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)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Maureen Lenehan

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Gilltown, Co. Meath