School: Johnstown (roll number 877)
- Location:
- Johnstown, Co. Meath
- Teacher: Miss H.C. Hickie
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- XML “Festival Customs”
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- Festival CustomsSt. Stephens Day.
is a great day for the youngsters and sometimes for the grown up men.A crowd of boys arrange a party to follow the wren. The first thing they do is to change their appearance as much as possible. They blacken sometimes blue their faces and hands. Others wear "eye fiddles" and simply look terrifying. They wear the most outlandish clothing they find. Skirts, blouses and tall hats with feathers. Someone of the party is a musician - melodeon, fiddle or mouth organ. Then the procession starts to visit every house within a radiud of 4 or 5 miles.
When coming near the house they start their rhyme:
The Wren, the wren the king of all birds.
St. Stephens Day is caught in the furze
Altho' she is small her family is great
So rise up landlady and give us a trate.Some people invite the Wren Boys into the house and give them refreshments and money.They sing and dance in return as usually have a "wren spree" in some of the local houses.When small boys follow the wren they usually divide the proceeds.(continues on next page)