mother often told her a story about May-Eve. A witch would come in the night on a snare-spancel to every farm house and would milk the cows on May Eve night and when the farmer would milk the cows in the morning and when the farmer tried to make butter out of the milk they could not do it because all the fat was out of the milk. A few years after the farmer used get Holy Water and throw it all over around the house on May Eve and the witch would not come any more.

on May Eve and it is considered to keep away thunder and lightning. Another old custom was to go out May Eve and gather armful of yellow flowers known as May Flowers. These are strewn at the gate of every field, outside the doors of homes and out-houses and even on the housetops. It is considered that these would keep away ill-luck, evil spirits and disease.

In the country they light bon - fires on the hill tops to welcome the summer. It is a local belief that if you go out late on May Eve you would meet the faires.
Another custom is to put a May - bush over the dairy door to protect it from the faires because they take away butter and milk with them. It is unlucky to throw out or ashes on May Eve or to clear out the grate on May - Eve.
On May - day people sprinkle the Easter water again on the crops and animals to protect them from all danger and to bring God's blessing on them.
On May eve there

May Eve. On May Eve before the sun sets people get the the branch of a white thorn bush with blossoms on it and put May flowers on it and put on the dunghill for it is supposed that fairies be out on that night to keep them from stealing the cows. Flowers are also put at every door.

May Day - Pishogues i. Primroses used to be strewn on the thresholds of the front and back doors on May Eve in order to keep out the fairies as the people believed that no fairies can overcome this defence.j. Branches of a rowan tree used to hung over the cattle in the stalls on May Eve in order to bring more produce to the cows and to ward off the Evil Spirits.k. The maids and servant-men used to make the sign of the Cross on themselves on May Eve with the froth of the milk in the pails after having milked each cow.l. No fire was allowed to be taken out of the house on May Eve, and no food was given at the door to any beggars on that day as the people believed that by doing so they would be giving away their luck. Hence No beggars went around the locality on that day.m. The people used to quench the fires on the hearth before retiring on May Eve as they were afraid that if they left any "live coals" in the hearth some evil spirits would steal the fire and out the fire. [?]

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Old customs in my district on May Eve and May DayMay Eve is respected in a special manner by the Irish, especially among the farming classes. They associate the luck on their stock for the following year from their luck on May Eve and May morning. As the month of May is devoted to "The Blessed Virgin: farmers generally have their children gather May flowers and spread them at the doors of their cow houses and beside spring

Long ago the Irish people celebrated two great days one the first of May and the other Hallow eve night. On May day the people put flowers on the threshold because the people of ancient Ireland believed in fairies and were afraid of them. On May day the people would not give away a drop of milk because they used to think they would be giving away the butter. If anyone came in to on May day they would take the churn and say "God bless the cows and the butter" I am not concerned any longer about May day. I am telling you the fun boy's have on Hallow Eve Night. For many days children are collecting nuts and apples and sweets.
When Hallow Eve night comes a lot of boys and girls get to-gether in some house to have great fun. They hang an apple out of the ceiling and the children try to catch it in their mouths with their hands behind their backs. Then they get basin of water and put a shilling or a sixpence and try to catch it in their mouths and it below in the bottom of the water. Then the children eat nuts and sweets and monkey nuts which have to be bought because they do not

May day. People never give away milk on May day. When a person comes for milk, water is put into the vessel instead, because it is said you would have no milk during the month. On May eve some of the people are accustomed to light a fire in almost every field, because it is said to hunt away any evil that is in them.
Many of the people sprinkle holy water in the houses, on the animals, and on the crops. There is an old custom of strewing flowers on May eve. The children of the household go out on May eve after sunset and gather armfuls of the bright yellow flowers known as the Mayflowers. These they strew at the entrance gate of every field. They do this to keep away ill luck and bring good fortune.

May Eve and May day Customs.
There are many old customs for May Eve and May day still going on in my native district.
On May Eve some people put charms on others and they put up a May- bush to bring God's blessings on them and to keep away charms. They also sprinkle easter water on the crops and animals.

A May bush is cut after sunset on May Eve. It is cut with a slashing hook. It must be a green bush with green leaves on it. A man must cut it and the children must put the flowers on it. It is stuck in ashes outside the door. It is decorated with Mayflowers, primroses, bluebells, and bog Mayflowers, eggshells and Our Lady's flowers. May flowers are thrown on the roof to keep the fairies away.A piece of Rowan tree is also gathered on May Eve and hung over the door, after it has been made into the form of a cross.In Dundalk on May Eve children go round with a doll dressed as a baby saying "Help the May Babby".

to the work and the workers too."
Nothing was borrowed on May Eve. The children gathered may flowers on May Eve and put them opisite every house.
A deck of were bought on may eve and the joker was burned for good luck.
A ring of rowan berries were tied on Churndash afraid the butter would be taken off the milk.
People arose early on May morning to get water out of the well first because witches would come and take the good water.

In every country of the world there are old traditions and customs. Ireland is exceptionally rich in folklore revealing the ancient beliefs and habits of its people. The chief times at which these customs are observed are on St. Brigid's Eve, May night, St John's Eve, Hallow E'en or November Eve and at Christmas.
Superstition centres round May Day customs. It is a common belief that if you wash your face in the dew and dry it in the sun-shine on May morning you will not suffer from head-aches during the year.
Young ladies go out on May Eve and pluck the flowers of the Yarrow. They put it under their pillow and are supposed to dream of their future husband.
They go out early on May morning and

May Day - Pishogues(e) About a hundred and fifty years ago the people of this locality believed that if a red-haired woman came to their door on May Eve they would have bad luck for 12 months.(f) They also believed that if the cock crowed during the day they would have bad luck for the following 12 months. i.e. from May Eve.(g) They believed that if a thoughtless girl swept the floor towards the door on May Eve she would have swept all the good luck from the house for the following 12 months.(h) They believed that if a girl lit a candle without first blessing herself or forgot to nip a cake before cutting it on May Eve evil spirits would have power over the household during the following 12 months.

The fairies used steal butter on the farmers on May Eve. The farmers put cinders under the churns to frighten the fairies away. If they stole it on the 1st of May they would steal it for the year.
The farmers used get up early and go to a well in their farm for a bucket of water to sprinkle on their crops.
A week before May Eve people used to put a pot of water out and late on May Eve they would take it in and it would keep away colds for the year.
On May Eve people sprinkle Easter Water on the crops and around the house so as everything would be alright for the year.

and wash themselves with the dew and dry themselves with the sun.
They washed themselves with water that was never rained or run.
Long ago the Pagan Irish lit fires in honour of their false God called Bealtaine on May Eve, but when St. Patrick came to Ireland he changed all this to St. John's Eve and it is on St. Johns Eve, the fires are lit over the crops since then
Before the sun shines on May morning the green May should be brought in and if you would keep it inside until next May good luck would come to the house. People make rounds to blessed wells on May Eve and pray while they are going a round.
One thing that is commonly known in Mayday[?] is the nettling in school. In merry May the black birds lay. The first of May brings us to a new season called summer. Every one decorates the Altar in summer with May flowers especially with primroses. Soft April showers and sweet May flowers will bring the summer

If a person came in while one was churning and did not say "God bless the work" or else turn the handle of the churn, the old people used say he would take the butter. There are many superstitions connected with May's Eve. If a person got buttermilk from someone and then got the branch of mountain ash and dipped it in a well he would have good luck for a year. If a person borrowed something on May Eve he would have luck for a year but the giver would have bad luck. Long ago the people used try not to light a fire on May Eve until they would see somebody else's fire first. As they used have no matches that they had a good excuse to go to a neighbours house to borrow a coal. Even to this day people believe that if they did not sprinkle holy-water on their crops and cattle for the first three days of May they would have no luck for the next year.
It is said that if you washed your hands in a forge trough it would

May Eve
A good many years ago on May Eve it was a usual custom for people to stay up at night minding their cows. There was a lot of witchcraft worked in those days. One farmer had the experience of seeing a hare one May Eve going around his cows and drinking a sup of milk from each cow. He chased the hare to a cabin with a hound he had with him. When he went into the cabin an old woman was panting in the bed.
They used also light a fire on May Eve and drive their cows over it. If there was a pond of water between two farmers both farmers would try to be out early to skim the pond saying, "North and South and East and West is mine".

May Eve
2nd May 1938On May Eve some people put quick beam in the crops and they hake holy water on the cattle. Some people think that butter can be taken on May Eve. There was a woman one time that believed in pishogs and she said she found the prints of a mans finger on a cows tail. While you would be making the churn

with it. One is "May Fire". Children get sticks, coal or turf on May Eve and May Day light a fire and go from door to door with some in a can asking for a penny for the "May Fire".Some people say you should not go into a field on May Eve as the fairies would take you. They also believe that you should bring a branch of green (such as a branch of a white thorn) into the house for luck on May Eve and May Day. On the other hand some people say that it is unlucky to bring anything green into the house during May. Some people in Ennis believe in the first and others in the second.Long ago people did not like others to take water from their well on May morning as they were afraid they might take away the butter of their cows. Nobody would come into anothers house for a coal on that day for the same reason. People used to put out quick beam on the crops to protect them from the fairies. The more usual practice now is to sprinkle them with Holy Water.
On ST JOHN'S EVE and ST JOHN'S DAY bonfires used be lighted in every town land. They are still lighted in some places especially at St John's Well in Newhall a few miles outside Ennis.
The 24th OF JUNE is the FAIR OF SPANCILHILL a very

May Eve Customs
In ancient times people had to take great care on May Eve because the fairies would do them harm. Children would not be let go out on hill side after sun-set because the fairies would steal them away and bewitch the cattle if they got the opportunity. If they heard a young girl singing they always remembered it was a fairy.Above all they never gave away fire because fire is the life of man. If there was food left over from May Eve to May Day whether it was baked, boiled or roasted it was