School: Ferbane (Convent)
- Location:
- Ferbane, Co. Offaly
- Teacher: Sr. Patrick
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0813, Page 398
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- (continued from previous page)blood of the cock.
On Hallow Eve boys go around to the houses dressed in disguises, sometimes as ladies, these boys are called "Pookies". They dance and play music which amuses the people, and then they give them a few coppers. Children have great fun on this night; they play games such as diving for apples in a tub of water or tieing a lighted candles and an apple to the ceiling. This is a hard game, as it is usually the candle that is caught instead of the apple. Another game is to put water on one plate, clay on another and a ring on another. Then each person is blindfolded, and she goes separately to the plates. Whoever puts her hand on the one with the water is supposed to cross the sea, whoever puts her hand on the clay is supposed to die in that year, and whoever puts her hand on the ring is to be married.
On Christmas Eve night people light Christmas candles and put them in the windows, they also stay up till midnight in honour of Our Lord being born in Bethlemhem at that hour.
- Collector
- Peggy Egan
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Coolnahinch, Co. Offaly
