Holly with white leaves is in great demand at Christmas. Red-berry holly is liked also. The holly is taken down after January 6th.

Once there was a man called Pat McKinney living out in Fallask near Kinnego. One evening he went out to cut a walking stick or two for himself. He looked about for a while but he could not find any that were suitable. At last he came to a holly bush and on this holly bush were growing some nice straight sticks. Pat Knew that the fairies were supposed to live in the spot on which this holly bush was growing

There is a fort in Curraghnawall on my grandfather's farm. The field itself always went by the name of "Art No Muc." It is a square small field, green and mossy. There are five or seven lone whitethorn bushes in it and three holly trees. Two of the holly trees grow together and bear an abundance of berries, and the third one grows by itself, has no berries and very few thorns. They are upwards of twenty feet high.The old people tell us that there was a treasure hidden in that fort. There were lights seen about it many times and horsemen coming from all directions to it. No one ever searched for the treasureOne time, a man came to my grandfather of the name of Mr Fox and asked could he take a branch off a holly tree in the fort and he said yes. Mr Fox cut a branch off one of the holly trees to make a stake for his cow. He brought it home and tied his cow alright but he was called during the night by strange horsemen, who told him to leave back the stake in the fort or they would kill him.Next morning, he found his cow that he tied to the holly stake dead.

A lot of people have a cross of St Brigid's. They are made of rushes or straw and every one that one hangs them in the cow house because St Brigid always loved cows. The cross is about six inche long and four inches wide.
When people are doing up their houses for Christmas they put holly in the windows and the reason that the red berries are on the holly is when Our Lord was on earth. He was in His bare feet and he walked on a holly branch and the throns of it pricked his feet and the drops of blood fell on the holly and the berres are on branches since.
When people get palm on Palm Sunday the people put a piece of it in every house they have and they take down the old Palm and burn it.

About seventy years ago there lived a man who won distinction for running races. He was known as Holly Hawk. he received his name being as hard as holly and as thin as a hawk. This man had no fixed address. He went from place to place and was a familiar figure in the counties of Waterford, and Kilkenny. He was a very weak-minded man and when ever he was asked to run a race he was ready to do so, no matter how long the distance was. He lived during the time of the Mail Coaches. One of these vehicles journeyed from Waterford to Kilkenny. He was asked to run a race with the coach, and he willingly did so arriving at his destination before the coach and nothing the worse of his long journey. On another occasion he made a bet with the Marquis of Waterford to run a race with him from the bridge of Waterford to Curraghmore. The Marquis sat in his carriage and drove his horses at a mighty speed.
On the journey Holly Hawk turned the small weels of the carriage remarking that it was not fair to have them doing as much as the two large ones. When they came near their destination, the Marquis drove his horses much quicker and Holly Hawk fearing he would be beaten jumped the style

Holly and ivy are put up in all houses for Christmas and a large Christmas candle is left burning in some houses on Christmas Eve night. The holly and ivy are put up about a week before Christmas and are not disturbed till 12th Day. Holly with berries is preferred and when 12th Day comes the holly and ivy are burned.
Palm is universally worn on Palm Sunday, is brought home and put round religious pictures in bedrooms. Some people hang a small piece of palm in the outhouses on the farm.
The flower of the white thorn is called a May bush and altars in honour of the Blessed Virgin are made and decorated with it during the month of May.

It is the custom for people to decorate their houses at Christmas time with holly and mistletoe. Some say that the reason that holly is used is because that the cross on which Jesus was crucified was made of the wood of the holly tree. Others say that it is because that there are few flowers in bloom at Xmas and the holly branches are a very pretty sight with their bright red berries, and are suitable for decoration on. May day the mayflowers and Marsh mallows are gathered and scattered around the byres, and at wells to keep witches away. On Palm Sunday branches of the palm bush are taken to the priest and blessed by him. The palm is taken home and hung up in the houses or sometimes in the outhouses too until Ash Wednesday of the next year comes. Then it is burned and the ashes and rubbed on the foreheads of the people. It reminds them that they are made of dust and that to dust they shall one day return. People of this district used to go to Lough Patrick and get some water. They sprinkled this water on their cows on the first day of May. Noggins and piggins which were the old wooden vessels the people used, are still preserved in some houses as emblems of sentimental value.

The form of a very small chicken.
Christmas Day On Christmas Day houses are decorated with holly, balloons, and Ivy. A pudding is nearly always eaten after dinner on Christmas Day a piece of withered holly is placed on the top of the pudding. The whiskey is poured on the holly and around the pudding. The holly is first set on fire and burns up the whiskey. The old people say that this brings luck on the pudding, and that those who eat a piece of a pudding to which all this has happened will find money within three weeks

19-1-38Evergreens are trees or shrubs which are green throughout the year. The most common evergreens are the holly, ivy, yew and the laurel. The holly is used for decorating churches and shop windows and dwelling houses for Christmas and also for decorating the cribs in the churches. The ivy is a climbing plant and it is found growing on trees, walls, houses and on old ruins. The holly and the ivy and yew are the only trees that do not lose their leaves during the

Holly is an emblem of Christmas. Red-berry holly is the sort of holly which is used in mostly all houses. Palm is an emblem of Palm Sunday. In the olden time when there were no badges the people used to put a sally kippen in the fire. Then when it was red they used to cool it in water. They would then draw a sign with the black kippen on the sleeve of their coat and those were the sort of badges the olden people had. At the present day there are stones brought from St. Benjamin's Well in Tullylease and looked upon as being blessed.

At Christmas the houses are decorated with holly. The holly is placed over the pictures, on the mantlepieces, and around the windows. The holly is left up till Candlemas Day, and if it is not taken down on that day it is supposed to bring bad luck to the house.
Palm is got in the Church on Easter Sunday, it is then brought home, and put around the holy pictures. On the following Ash Wednesday the Palm is taken down again, and burned.

About a hundred years ago it was the custom in lonely places for men to hide their money in the ground. There was one old man by the name of Mr. Holly who lived close to the village of Passage. He hid his money in the ground and then killed a man and buried it so that no one would search for it. This spot, which is called Holly's gap, is known to be haunted for at different times a man is supposed to be seen there. It is supposed to be the ghost of the man who was killed there. We are afraid to pass Holly's Gap at night.

In Bethlehem there was a little boy who had a Holly tree, the leaves of which were rough and dry. Its berries were of a very dull colour. He loved this little tree. One day he went into a cave to feed little lambs, and he saw the tiny baby Jesus there. He decided to give Him some little present. The thing most dear to him was the holly tree which he brought and left at the feet of the Baby Jesus. The little Infant stretched forth his baby hand and touched it. It became very bright and beautiful, hence we decorate with holly at Christmas.

About a week before Christmas the people are very busy. The woman clean up the house and decorate them with holly and ivy and coloured papers.
About a week befrore Christmas the boys go off and gather holly and ivy to put over the pictures. Last I got plenty of holly in Mr Byrnes field. I kept half of ut for our own house and I gave the rest to friends in Dublin. I went for it with Jackie Sheedy and we brought a saw and

There is a Sphynk somewhere around Ballinacarrick and there was a holly-bush growing in it. A man lived one time in the vicinity and he used to tie his cow in the kitchen when he would be expecting her to calve. This time he cut a stake of this holly-bush and put it in the kitchen. After he had the cow tied she started to roar an jump. He couldn’t get her settled and at last the woman remembered about this holly-bush being gentle. He took out the stake and brought in another. The cow became quiet when he left the part of the hollybush in the place he got it.

There is a holly tree growing in Moneydarragh which is said to be gentle. It is growing on the left bank of the Culdaff river. Long ago if anyone would strike it with his or her head the hair would fall off at night. One time a man took a piece of holly off the tree and when he went home one of his cows lay down in the byre and would not rise until he would leave back the holly. When he came back the cow got up and ever since that no one ever touched the tree.

flag but no water came. He told his mother that no water came so she wen to see what was wrong and she found that it was not the same stone and she told him that no water would come unless you tapped with the stone that he threw at the bird. They looked for it but could not find it. There is another story told about the same fort that one day two men were looking for holly for it was near Christmas. They did not get any but when they were coming home they went into the field where that fort were and they looked up and saw grand holly on it but when they went up to pick it it was gone and it is said that the fairies only put it there for themselves. When the men went up to get it it disappeared and there is an old saying locally "You only saw it like Liston's holly".

is the makes but not always; his family may help. They are placed over the Sacred Heart picture or in any place at all. It is in the roof of dwelling outhouses such as stables, etc. It is a custom which is growing rather than dying. When I was young few made them but now many do.Holly at Christmas
It is said here "it is no Christmas without holly". Every house is decorated with holly - let there be berries on it or not. Naturally berried holly, if possible , is got and put up in the kitchen, around the

holly bush yesterday". The priest quietly replied "Nobody could see me in the holly bush except he was baptised. The old smith then told him that when he was a baby his old nurse was a Catholic and got him baptised by a hunted priest.

Evergreens are the holly, yew, the ivy, the boxwood and the laurel. These little shrubs are very nice around a house. The are (very nice) called evergreens because the are green during all the year. The ivy climbs up houses and walls. The boxwood makes a very nice hedge. The holly is very nice for decorating at Christmas.