School: Birr (Mercy Convent)
- Location:
- Birr or Parsonstown, Co. Offaly
- Teacher: Sr. Flannan
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- Festival Customs in BirrSt Stepen's Day: On St Stephen's Day the following custom is observed in and around Birr Boys and young men dress in multi coloured clothes and each one usually wears a mask so as not to be recognized. They carry musical instruments such as mouth organs, melodians and concertinas. One member of the party generally carries a holly bush decorated with coloured strings and ribbons while right on the top of it hangs a dead wren. They go to each house in the town and country. After having played on their musical instruments and perhaps one or two of them dance they sing the following song.
"The wren, the wren the King of all birds,
St Stephen's Day he was caught in the furze.
Though he is small, his family is great,
Rise up land-lady and give us a treat.
And if your treat be beyond the rest,
May your soul in Heaven rest,
So up with the kettle and down with the pan,
Give us our answer and let us be gone".(continues on next page)