School: Castletown

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1. Local Festival Customs (continued)

   

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   two inches wide and they are fastened by a plain pin.
   On the night before May day primroses are strewn on the doorstep to welcome in the May. If St. Swithens day is wet it will be wet for fifty days after. On Hallow Een an apple is hung by a cord to the ceiling and two or three people tie their hands behind their backs and try to bite the apple. Another game that is played is to get a tub of water and put a sixpence into it and then everyone tires to find it.
   On Shrove Tuesday night pan-cakes are made and that night is called pan-cake night.
   On St. Stephens day the wren boys kill the wren and then go about collecting money from door to door. When they have the money collected they devide it. When they are going around they say the following rhyme

   The wren The wren the king of all birds
   St Stephens day she was caught in the furze

   (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

   Agnes Donegan

   Gender

   Female

   Informant

   Mr William Donegan

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   c. 48

   Address

   Castletown, Co. Meath