School: Ardagh (roll number 15035)

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1. Old Marriage Customs

   

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   The people used to be married in their own house and at the backs of ditches and on the tops of hills. They used to get married at all times in the day and sometimes at night. The men used to go to the matchmaker with a bottle of whiskey in their pockets and they used to throw in their hats or caps to see were they welcome and if they were not welcome their hats or caps would be thrown out again. They used to bring a neighbour with them to ask her parents for the girl. They used to bring the whiskey with them to treat the parents of the girl. The parents of the boy and girl would sometimes meet at the markets or fairs to talk over the coming marriage and then the parents of the boy would not let them get married if the girl would not have enough of money for them. The custom long ago was to bring a crate pin with them when they were going to band beg to fight if they were not let in. Once upon a time a crowd went to band beg to a house and they would not be let in so they gathered all the hens and ducks they could get and started to throw them in on the window. They would fight if they would not get drink. It was a custom that each of the band beggars would dance with the bride. Once upon a time there was a man going to get married and he had a dirty shirt he said to his mother how can I get married with this dirty shirt so his mother washed the shirt

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. activities
      1. social activities (~7)
         1. rites of passage (~573)
            1. marriage (~4,283)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Thomas Farrell

   Gender

   Male

   Informant

   Mrs B. Farrell

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Cartrongarrow, Co. Longford