School: An Grianán (Mount Temple) B.
- Location:
- Mount Temple, Co. Westmeath
- Teacher: S. Ó Riain
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0746, Page 068
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- On St. Stephen's Day in my townland (Legan) it is customary for the young people to dress up in straw, and old clothes to go out 'to hunt the wren' as it is called. Some of them dress up as women with skirts, and put vizards on their faces, so that they will not be known. They try to catch a wren, and if they do not succeed they pretend to have one. They also bring with them musical instruments on which they play while the others dance and they sometimes sing, at each house. They usually get one penny or two pennies at each house, because they followed the wren, and it was the wren that betrayed St Stephen. The big people that take(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Michael Conlon
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Legan, Co. Westmeath
