School: Davidstown (roll number 9682)

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1. Old Sayings

   

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   My grandmother (R.I.P.) Mrs. Mary Dunne, Courtnacuddy, Enniscorthy.
   died May 1927 in her 90th year. I lived with her when a child and again from 1914-1920. I have jotted down some of her sayings, customs, &c, as I remember them, without classification. There they are:- (Marion G. Brennan N.T. Davidstown) 44.
   Old sayings:- "It's a good sign of fish to see some in the net". (with seaweed[?] as if one questioned her about something which was obvious).
   "There are matches for ciarags". (On hearing of engagement or marriage of an ill-favoured person).
   "She couldn't lie straight in bed" - (of a cantankerous person)
   "the full of a wren's eye of wool would make the length of her bill of yarn". (Picking up bits of wool off bushes &c. She always washed these pieces, & she showed me how to fluff the wool & make baby's eiderdowns from it. She also stuffed cushions with it & she said a pincushion stuffed with it was an ideal one for needles as the oil in the wool kept needles for[crossed out] from rusting).
   "It's no load to know everything". "Better marry than burn" as St. Paul said.
   "It's Maire ochones lamentation with you". (You're sorry too late).
   Its a good thing that mends (on hearing of someone's reformation).
   There never was an old shoe but there was an old stocking to match it.
   The life of an old hat is to cock it - of an old shoe to black it.
   Beauty never made the pot boil.
   A person in a hurry "with his breath in his fist".
   Of a restless person:- up and down like a dog at a fair".

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. genre
      1. verbal arts (~1,483)
         1. proverbs (~4,377)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Marion G. Brennan

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   44

   Occupation

   Teacher

   Address

   Curralane, Co. Wexford

   Informant

   Mrs Mary Dunne

   Relation

   Grandparent

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Courtnacuddy, Co. Wexford