School: Faughalstown (roll number 9622)
- Location:
- Faughalstown, Co. Westmeath
- Teacher: Bean Mhic Gabhann
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0720, Page 047
Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.
See copyright details.
DownloadOpen data
Available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
- XML School: Faughalstown
- XML Page 047
- XML “Holly, May-Bush and Palm”
Note: We will soon deprecate our XML Application Programming Interface and a new, comprehensive JSON API will be made available. Keep an eye on our website for further details.
On this page
- The custom of decorating the house at Christmas with holly or ivy, is carried out in this locality every year. Holly is used because there is no other shrub in leaf at that time of the year. It is put up around the wall or two rows of it are tied from the four corners of the room, to form a cross
It was a local custom to erect a maybush on May day. A green, thickly leaved branch was cut off a bush and several bunches of blackthorn and wild flowers were tied to it. It was then put standing on the dung-hill or in front of the door. This custom is carried out now, by only about(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Patrick Haughey
- Gender
- Male
- Informant
- Mrs R. Clinton
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Gartlandstown, Co. Westmeath
