Recent changes

out on the Last Day. Others say it is symbolic of the Ressurection. They are not locked down forever. The funeral from the house if at all possible followed the road the deceased travelled to Mass.Many are taken long distances to be buried i.e. to Dunohill, Killanare, Killmarath, Upperchurch, Glankeen, Tower Hill, Tuam, Doon, Kilpatrick. On the journey the funeral goes as near as possible to dead person's home. Should it pass the house the Hearse generally halts for a minute presumably to give the deceased time to bid a last farewell to the old Home.

(10) Waking lasts generally a day and night according to the time the person dies. Pipes are not now distributed at wakes. The custom seems to have died twenty to thirty years ago. Large crowds attend wakes, some coming long distances. Drink is distributed and all are supplied with tea. Snuff is left on a plate beside the corpse and the custom of kissing the corpse on the forehead still prevails. The Rosary is recited at 12 o'clock at night. Candles are lighted beside the corpse, generally three or four. The number does not matter tho I've seen six used in parts of Clare one being left unlighted. On the following evening the remains are removed to the church, there is no fixed time. The candles which were lighting beside the remains are in some families carried lighting before the coffin out the door and then quenched outside. While the remains are being coffined the lid is left standing against the wall outside the door. Name, Date of Death and age are written on the breastplate. The age given is generally a year under or a year over the correct age. Near relatives are not to shoulder the coffin though I've seen cases where four of the same name say "four Careys" are looked for. The burial takes place at 12 o'clock. A strange custom here exists. When the coffin is lowered into the grave the screws fastening the lid are opened in such a way that the lid may be lifted off. Old people say it is to give the dead the opportunity of getting

(1) When a person dies the window is immediately opened to set free the spirit.
(2) The remains are allowed to rest for a couple of hours before being "laid out".
(3) A man who shaved during life is shaved, while those who wore beards are left there just as in life.
(4) The water, soap, towel are carefully buried in the person's own land.
(5)The dead man's razor is as a rule given as a present to the person who shaved the corpse.
(6) No wages are taken for the work.
(7) Care is taken to insert the stud last worn by the decreased.
(8) All men are dressed in the brown Habit of Mount Carmel
(9) Women sometimes dressed in the White of the Immaculate Conception.

dies in childbirth is taken by the Good People.
(12) It is an insult to look at a newly born baby without saying "God bless him or her"
(13) A baby corpse is dressed in white and there is not that I know of any special burial ground for unbaptised babies. They are, as a rule, buried in the ordinary graveyard.
(14) The christening robe is generally borrowed. It is considered lucky.
(15) The cradle is usually passed on from father to son, also for luck.

may be taken by fairies while nurse etc are absent from house. Salt hinders them.
(6) When the baby is being taken to church salt is generally tied in the corner of Christening Robe. Some say this also is to prevent the Good People taking the child. I believe myself it is more Christian than pagan. An old nurse or midwife now dead told me that it was a custom handed down from Penal Times when the baby had to be taken to some glen or lonely spot to be baptised by some hunted priest and salt was taken for use in the ceremonies and for blessing Holy Water.
(7) When the baby is baptised nobody must kiss it. Its first kiss is reserved for the mother.
(8) If a Baby dies the little coffin is generally wrapped in a white linen shroud. When being buried this shroud is taken off and after burial is rinsed or washed in the nearest stream before being taken home. THis rinsing is supposed to prevent the death of other babies in the same family.
(9) If a baby dies after Baptism, birthmarks, sores, toothache, pain are said to be healed or cured by touching the affected parts with the dead child's hand.
(10) A mother who dies in childbirth is believed by many to watch over and feed her child until it has grown up.
(11) Some older people yet believe that the mother who

may be taken by fairies while nurse etc are absent from house. Salt hinders them.
(6) When the baby is being taken to church salt is generally tied in the corner of Christening Robe. Some say this also is to prevent the Good People taking the child. I believe myself it is more Christian than pagan. An old nurse or midwife now dead told me that it was a custom handed down from Penal Times when the baby had to be taken to some glen or lonely spot to be baptised by some hunted priest and salt was taken for use in the ceremonies and for blessing Holy Water.
(7) When the baby is baptised nobody must kiss it. Its first kiss is reserved for the mother.
(8) If a Baby dies the little coffin is generally wrapped in a white linen shroud. When being buried this shroud is taken off and after burial is rinsed or washed in the nearest stream before being taken home. THis rinsing is supposed to prevent the death of other babies in the same family.
(9) If a baby dies after Baptism, birthmarks, sores, toothache, pain are said to be healed or cured by touching the affected parts with the dead child's hand.
(10) A mother who dies in childbirth is believed by many to watch over and feed her child until it has grown up.
(11) Some older people yet believe that the mother who

are of average intelligence & great brilliancy is rare.The climate is extremely moist. Heavy rains are frequent. Winters are cold and snowstorms are often very severe.Since many strange customs may be unknown or untold to children, some of the following are written by myself and written at random as they have been heard. I take in the first case the life of a man or woman.Birth:
(1) An expectant mother must not enter a graveyard. If she does her baby will have what is locally called a cam ___ (crooked foot).
(2) She must not enter a corpse room or touch the dead. Her baby may be defective or perhaps be still born.
(3) Great care must be taken not to let a hare cross her path. The mouth of the child will be peculiar.
(4) If she has been struck by anything which as is believed may result in a birth-mark all she has to do is touch the place struck with her hand then rub her hand to her back or leg and the mark will thus be transferred from the face of the baby to the back or leg.
(5) When the baby is taken to the Church for Baptism, salt is put under the mother's head or pillow. She

Cill Cuimín, the older name being Cill Cuimin a's-Sléibe is a parish with an area of 30 sq miles, embracing Rear Cross & Holyford. It has three R.C. churches the one in Rear Cross being galvanised. Rear Cross is but a new name being, I heard, given to Ré or Réid Cearinóige Móire by the late Rev W.J. McKeogh, Parish Priest of the united Parishes from about 1887 to 1913. The district is mountainous the people mostly dairy farmers while a large trade is also done in store cattle which thrive extremely well in the lowlands. There are numerous dolmens, cromachs locally called "Labbies" which is probably an anglicised, pluralised form of the Irish word "leabaid".These point to a pre Christian colonisation but very little information concerning them is to be had locally except that some say they are graves of chieftains, others say treasure is hidden in them, some say they are the Fairy Tables. They are held in deep respect as in other places the belief exists that some great evil befalls those who interfere with them. I know two or three which have fallen and yet the stones remain strewn on the ground not to be removed.Character of the People:
The people are sturdy mountain folk mainly belong to the Ryan clan. Such names as Hickey, Hanly,

can easily gain the support of a whole clan for any purpose whatever. They are a hospitable kindly people, deeply religious and almost as deeply superstitious. Quaint beliefs still exist especially amongst the older people. They are not or perhaps cannot be as industrious as people of other counties. The land is poor, tho' good grazing. Potatoes are a poor crop, oats scarcely ripens and if down at all is generally fed unthrashed to cows. Pig feeding is carried on to a limited extent and when a pig is killed the "neighbours" can be sure of puddings and "grischons". Their English is perhaps the most ungrammatical to be found in Ireland. In ordinary language they use - "he have", "she have", "we was", "was you", "I were" in some cases "i has", "we has", "th'are" or "they are" is the most common way of saying "there is" and I've often heard from older pupils that the teacher here Mr Brennan- now dead- used to say to his pupils "when I am dead, should any of you boys be at my funeral you'll see four words written on my Breastplate "She Have and He Have" - Fifty years later the present occupier of the position can write the same prophecy.There are no Protestant families nor have there been at any time. R.C. Clergy are held in high respect.Pishogues which seem to have been at one time rampant are now only a custom except in rare cases.The people are generally law abiding. The children

Quigly, O'Toole, Kennedy, Quinlan are also found and those who should naturally have an "O'" to the name have dropped it with the exception perhaps of the O'Tooles. Hence we have the name Doherty, Connell, Farrell, Dwyer. The name Carey is fairly plentiful though an odd one here and there writes it "Carew". It was in its original form "Carey" regarded as a disgraceful name by some of the older folk. No doubt the famous "informer" was responsible for the change. Ulster families are said to have settled here after the Battle of Kinsale. They were looked upon as inferior strangers and were commonly called "Owlthacs" probably from the Irish word "Ultrac". This extraordinary apathy to good Irishmen is now practically dead. The principal families regarded as Oulthacs were:- O'Tooles, Doherty, Quigly, Carr, Carey, Farrell, Hanly, Keane and the celebrated shout or "wheal" at the faction fights is still remembered. "Here's Quigly, Carey, Carr an' Owlthacs". There are several families of Scanlans said to have come originally from Garranboy, Killaloe, Co Clare.
Intermarriage has related or "connected" nearly all families so that it is often said the only ones in the parish not related are the teachers and the Priests. To use the local expression they "follow" their relations and if one is good at "tracing" and claim relationship he