School: Drumcoghill

Location:
Drumcoghill Lower, Co. Cavan
Teacher:
Bean Uí Iomaire
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0982, Page 260

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0982, Page 260

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  1. XML School: Drumcoghill
  2. XML Page 260
  3. XML “Wakes”

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  1. Wakes are still a feature of Irish life. In towns and cities things have changed, all the same, and in a less degree in the country also. The old custom of sitting till morning has almost died out. Very few houses keep open-. The friends drop off one by one around midnight, and the relatives get a chance to sleep.
    The visitors always get tea, often a ham, or roast of beef is provided for wake and funeral, as well as the famed snuff, tobacco, and clay pipe. Drink is too dear now to allow of any of the rowdy goings on of years ago. I myself saw funerals where the funeral people were staggering into the open grave. That has ceased.
    As regards the wake games, not so much chance for that nowadays, and the corpse is often in the home for only one night, and the short sitting helps also.
    One famous wake game was
    "Shuffle the Bróg".
    All sat down in a ring. One stood in centre. They used an old brog, stick, turf, Ec. They started or rope with a good knot on the one end.
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. activities
      1. social activities (~7)
        1. entertainments and recreational activities (~5,933)
          1. games
            1. wake games (~170)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Mrs A. Montgomery
    Gender
    Female
    Occupation
    Teacher
    Address
    Corr, Co. Cavan