School: Acontagh, Tullamore
- Location:
- Acantha, Co. Offaly
- Teacher: Muriel Rogan
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0804, Page 142
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- Marriages take place locally at all seasons of the year, but Saturday is considered an unlucky day for a wedding
Matches are often made in the district. The dowry is fixed before the wedding and it is given on the wedding morning. Goods were given in olden time.
Long ago marriages took place in a forge. Confetti and rice is thrown at the bride and bridegroom. There is usually an old slipper tied on the carriage for luck. The wedding feast is held at the bride's house.
Straw-boys or "huggards" as they are now called still visit some houses. They are generally dressed in old clothes and they behave very well. They dance and sing songs. The people give them refreshments and then they go away.
If the bridegroom owned a motor car, he and the bride would be drawn home in it by another car, or by horses. Wives often sant on the horses with their husbands.
