School: Newtown (roll number 3275)

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1. Festival Customs

   

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   The following is a short account of some festival customs of long ago. There are many old sayings which refer to St. Patrick's Day. Some of them are as follows:
   "One St. Patrick's Day it is wrote on the stone,
   Have the supper ready when the harrows come home." This means that the men working are able to keep working 'till dark. Another saying is:
   "When the palm comes before the shamrock,
   We will have a free and united Ireland."
   The means that when Palm Sunday comes before St. Patrick's Day Ireland will be united and free.
   This is a saying about Candlemas Day, it is: "On Candlemas Day throw half candle away." This means that the evenings are getting long and that half a candle would do because people need not light them so soon.
   Another customary festival is St. Stephen's Day. On that day boys dress up and go with the wren. A rhyme which they used to say is:
   "The wren the wren the king of all birds,
   St. Stephen's Day she was caught in the furze,
   Although she was little her family was great,
   Rise up land-lady and give us a treat,
   Up with the kettle and down with the pan,

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   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

   Nan Balfe

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Bigstown, Co. Meath

   Informant

   Mrs Balfe

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Bigstown, Co. Meath