School: Headfort
- Location:
- Virginia, Co. Cavan
- Teacher: Miss J.E. Browne
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0999, Page 057
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- XML Page 057
- XML “Old Marriage Customs”
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- Old Marriage Customs
There is usually a rush of weddings before Shrove Tuesday as the people are not supposed to get married during Lent. May is supposed to be an unlucky month to be married in.
A man looking for wife used to get another man to help him, this man was called a match-maker and he got some money if the wedding came off, they would talk over the girls in the neighbourhood and when they would decide which would be the most suitable they went to her parents house and they brought a bottle of whiskey with them, and they treated the parents to some. Then they would talk over the girls dowry. If the parents were poor the bridegroom sometimes got the red cow for a dowry. Another way of match-making was this: two farmers would meet in the fair and they would talk over their son and daughter and they would come to an agreement about the dowry. The son and daughter were told about their wedding a few days or a month before the wedding. Money was usually given as a dowry.
A wedding ceremony took place in a house in the district about fifty years ago. After the wedding ceremony there is usually a feast with plenty of things to eat and to drink. Young girls who are unmarried like to get a piece of the wedding cake to(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Alma Mc Quade
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Virginia, Co. Cavan
