School: St Egney's (C.), Buncrana
- Location:
- Bun Cranncha, Co. Dhún na nGall
- Teacher: Ellen Daly
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1112, Page 411
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- XML “Bonfire Night”
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- Bonfire night
On the bonfire night the custom is to light a fire, and to pray at it, and jump over it three times. When people would be driving home the cows, someone would hit each cow with a coal. This is an old Pagan custom and this is supposed to bring goof luck on the cows. It is done sometimes yet, but it used to be always the custom, and another custom was to throw a coal into each field. This was to bring good luck on the crops, and it is done sometimes yet.
And as well as having one big bonfire for every townland, each house as well as that has its own bonfire. At dusk a wee pile of turf is made in the garden or field and hot coals are brought from the kitchen fire to light them. This fire is always lit near where the cows will pass at milking time and a blazing turf is pitched after each cows as she goes by. After that the fire is scattered and let die.
The people used meet at the big bonfire in Desertegney till about 25 years ago. They danced and sang and tried to jump over the fire for luck. They don't do that now.
- Collector
- Sadie Doherty
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Glebe, Co. Dhún na nGall
- Informant
- Neil Mc Laughlin
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 68
- Address
- Glebe, Co. Dhún na nGall
