It is said that it is wrong to sit on the grass May Eve and May Day. It is said that if you wash your hands in the dew May Day you would be able to rip any kind of an knot. On May Eve the people shake holy water in the garden and on the cattle. It is said that on May Eve the horses can talk. One night a man stayed in hide to wash his horse. At twelve oclock the horse went down on his knees and said, "May God help me what ever journey I have to go with my master" and the man fell sick immediately. It is that if you set on (on) the grass May Eve the faries would come that night and carry you away

On May - eve all the people go to the Church to get the May holy

There are many old customs connected with May Eve and May Day.

People never give away milk on May Day. On May Eve people put a branch of a white-thorn bush in their crops to keep the luck of the crops for themselves. On May Eve some people milk a cow at midnight to bring the luck of the butter for themselves. On May Eve people put a bone of a rabbit in their crop for luck.

There are many strange customs connected with May Eve. The ancient May Eve customs are now dying away. Long ago the young children especially girls used to go around from house to house dressed in beautiful flowers. These youngsters used to sing a song at each house and get a few pence in exchange. In former times May Eve was regarded as a great festival. The following were the principal customs connected with May Eve in ancient times. First sweep the threshold clean, sprinkle ashes over it and watch for the first footprints. If it is turned inwards it means a marriage and if it is turned outwards it means a death. Secondly May Eve pick it up and put it on a plate, sprinkle with flour and at sunset you would see the initials of your true love's name. Thirdly light a bush before the house

Many old beliefs and customs were attached to May Eve and the month of May itself. For instance may-flowers were scattered around the house to keep away the fairies. Another old belief was that if a person washed his face in the May Eve dew he would not get sunburned during the Summer or he would not get wrinkles. Persons leaving presents of fresh milk and honey for the fairies would have a plentiful supply of butter and milk through-out the whole year. If a person was hit on the head with a bow-tree stick on May Eve he would not grow any more. Long ago the cow's udder was washed with May-flower (?) on May Eve so that she would give plenty milk during the year.A person going through briars three times on May-Eve and saying "all the butter come to me" would have the power to steal butter. If a person went out on May morning and skimmed the water off the well he would be boss of the village for that year. Another old custom was to tie cowslips to the cow's udder in order that the butter would not be stolen. There is a rhyme about the month of May as follows:-"A wet and windy May
Chills the haggard with corn and hay"
On May Eve people gathered different varieties of flowers and herbs which they mashed up. This mashed substance was called "Bealtanach". It was rubbed on the cow's udder and tits on May day. It was then believed that the cow would give a much better supply of milk and butter.

went near water on Whit Sun. and people living on islands hung something white on the half-door.May Eve - Children gather primroses and daises for the May-bush which must not be decorated until after sun set. A bush (not a branch) must be used and a blackthorn the "height of the duck-house door" is the proper size. The bush is fixed in front of the half door and decorated. Children also gather a variety of flowers for the May altar. May Eve is the bad people's night. On May Eve if one is churning one ought to get a red-haired man "to take a brash" to keep others from "taking the butter of the churn. Some people tied a red rags to the calves' tails to prevent them being "overlooked". Some people could take buttor off milk by running three times across the pasture fields on May Eve after sunset chanting "all to me" while they trailed a straw rope after them.St John's Eve - (Bonfire Night) Bonfires were lighted by setting fire to fields of whins. Somebody beats around the fields

bring good luck to the family during the year. The same custom, as that observed on New Year's Eve of cleaning out all the refuse, ashes, etc. from the dwelling house, is practised on this day. All dirty water etc. which would require to be thrown out on May day is emptied the previous evening so that there will not be any necessity to do so on May day. In the same way the out offices are cleaned out. All manure refuse, etc so as to avoid the necessity of doing so on May day, and run the risk of throwing away the luck of the household for the year.People do not like to give away milk or butter on May Eve or May day as they say the fairies may take both milk and butter from them for the year. Where people supply milk or butter to their neighbours, they usually send the necessary requirements on the evening before May Eve. If a cow is due to calve on May Eve

A number of ancient traditions circle especially around May day or May Eve called in Irish (La - Bel - Taine) the day of the sacred Beal[Baal?] fires because in olden on May Eve the Druids lit the great sacred fire at Tara and as the signal flames rose up high in the air and then a fire is to kindled on every hill in Erin; till the whole Island is on fire with fires. Its also a custom among the Irish people that fire Salt and milk are the three most precious things that a man could have. If any man gave away these three things on may day or May Eve he would give away luck? Another custom is: - not to carry a lighted sod out to a man to light his pipe or to borrow fire in any way for that would be giving away fire

It was a custom around here long ago and it still is. On May Eve to gather May flowers and throw them up on the roofs of the houses and it is supposed to keep bad luck from the house. Another May Eve custom was to erect a May Bush and dress it with flowers and coloured ribbons and in the evening all the young people of the place would gather together and they would dance and sing round the bush and they would have great sport until bedtime. Then they would light the bush and the smoke from it was supposed to keep out all evil spirits during the year. A very old custom around here was to have a May Queen on May Eve all the girls of the place would gather together and they would choose the prettiest girl as May Queen. On May Day they would have a procession and they would have

There are many customs held or kept on May Eve,

On May Eve all the old people pulled branches off the rowan tree and hung it

Though many of the old customs in connection with May Eve are no longer practised in this modern and matter of fact world of ours, still a good number of them are still remembered and spoken about by the old people of Boyle and its surroundings. In this essay I mean to give an account of those beliefs and customs in connection with a May Eve, which were widely prevalent in Boyle some years ago.The children of Boyle of the present day gather May flowers on May Eve, and scatter them on the door-steps, but some seventy years ago they used to erect a maypole on May Eve. This pole they decorated with wild-flowers and variously coloured ribbons, and to the music of fiddle and melodion they danced for hours around it. Before departing for home each merry-maker took home a piece of ribbon from the pole, which they carefully preserved till the next year. The present

this sprinkle holy water on the farmyard and in the stalls on May Eve.

house sprinkle holy-water on the cattle and on the crops on May Eve.

caught out at unusually early hours in the morning, in suspicious attitudes, if the practices didn't stop.May Eve was the chief time for doing these pishogues. To counteract, and prevent any evil from being done. May Water is specially blessed on May Eve, and shaken on Cattle, bounds, ditches, wells, Crops, Flowl, and indeed everything in connection with the farm.People have an objection to giving away milk, and eggs on May Eve.If they do give milk to a neighbouring poor person on May Eve they put a pinch of salt into the bottle.My mother R.I.P. used to tell that a girl once came to her for a setting of eggs on May Eve. This girl lived in [?] [?], but was not very well acquainted with the family. My mother never adverted to what day it was and in all good faith gave the setting of eggs.That year she had no luck with her hens, I think she had very little luck with them while she lived afterwards The hens died, and all the eggs were unfertile. Months had passed before she remembered her visitor on May Eve.

On May Eve people in the country, especially farmers light bonfires and follow the cattle with blazing sticks as it is the belief that no harm would come to the cattle touched with a red hot brand, and again;
People having Wells in their farms would not allow others to draw water from them on May Eve for whoever draws water on that day could have the fat of their land. A custom with young girls was to put out a vessel on the window sill on May Eve to collect the dew or rain to bathe their faces with on May Morning to preserve their youth and beauty.

3
May Eve
2nd. May 1938
On May Eve the people go to every garden and field that they have and shake holy water on them.They stick quickbeam in the garden.On May Eve they want to let nothing out of the house to anybody.Once upon a time the people used never go bed on May Eve only stay watching their cows indread that they would be milked. If anybody milked another persons cow on that night

May Eve is a sidheógai evening

He lives under a whitethorn bush and is supposed to be seen every May Eve.