School: Dean Kelly Memorial (roll number 16639)

Location:
Athlone, Co. Westmeath
Teacher:
D. Cahalene
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0748, Page 198

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0748, Page 198

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  1. XML School: Dean Kelly Memorial
  2. XML Page 198
  3. XML “May Day Customs”

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  1. Customs for welcoming in the month of May are very common in Ireland. On the 30th of April if a person happened to go out the country one would see people cutting and bringing home furze bushes to hang up outside the house on the first of May. This is said to keep away the evil spirits for rest of the year.
    Another custom is to erect a big pole and decorate it with flowers. Then all the children dance around it. This custom is called the Maypole Custom. It is very seldom that this custom is carried on at present. On May-day children also sing songs in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Farmers also carry out customs in the country. One of them is: no strange hand is to milk the cows on May-day; otherwise the farmers say that the cows would have bad milk for the rest of the year.
    Another custom the farmers have on May-day is: that people who own land or who are working on it should never disturb the soil on the first of May. Another custom is for a girl to get up early on May morning and wash her face with the dew of the grass. This is said to make her beautiful. The people round my place always light a bon-fire on May night. It is said that all the May bushes wither after May-day. It is a custom for all children on the eve of May-day to go
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. events
      1. events (by time of year) (~11,476)
        1. May (~639)
    Language
    English