School: Davidstown (roll number 9682)

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1. Local Marriage Customs

   

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   Marriages usually take place most frequently before Lent & Advent, & when there is a Church Holiday - the period between the 3 "callings" (Banns) is then shorter. May is considered unlucky. Matches are made but not by "professional" matchmakers, generally by relatives of the parties. Dowries are given - or promised, usually money, the money received by an eldest son with his wife being set apart as dowry for the younger brothers or sisters. Wedding feasts are now rarely held. Horns are sometimes blown (particularly for an unpopular person, an elderly person &c). "Black men" wearing masks, bags of straw tied on them & borrowed clothes - usually women's - did visit the houses up to fourteen or fifteen years ago. They generally did mischief, stole food, blocked up chimneys, took doors off hinges & c. The local clergy forbade this custom. (I myself (M.G Brennan Teacher) often saw these when a child). The "Rising out Sunday" was the first Sunday after the honeymoon & the bridesmaid & best man came & accompanied the newly married pair to Mass. (This custom was followed here up to ten years ago). The newly married pair do not visit the old home of the bride until a month has passed. When the woman of a house died & the eldest son was unmarried, girls desirous of stepping into his mother's shoes, tried to put their hand in the salt box at the wake or at the first opportunity - & the first to do so, was supposed to have the best chance! Mrs Treacy went to Canada 1918 told me of the custom of the locality when I went with her to the wake of Mrs. Murphy, Moneyhore about 1915.

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   Topics

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

   Language

   English

   Collector

   M.G. Brennan

   Gender

   Female

   Occupation

   Teacher

   Address

   Curralane, Co. Wexford

   Informant

   Mrs Treacy

   Gender

   Female