May Day is the name given to the first day in May. One of the superstitious customs connected with May Day is on May eve anyone who carries out this custom goes and gets the bark off a "rowan-berry tree" and early on May day they tie a piece of this to each of the cow's tails with a piece of a red rag. They believe if they don't do this both the cows and their milk will be "over-looked". Some people say if you give away milk on May day you give away the luck of your cows. People who did not believe in this in order to prevent the milk from being stolen went to the priest and got a "sup" of milk blessed and put a drop of blessed milk in each of the milking vessels.Long ago the children used to go out on May day and gather "prim-roses" or May flowers and strew them round the cows in the byre. They did this in order to prevent the cows from dying. Anyone who washes his face in the dew before sun-rise on May morn will be "good-looking" the whole year round.

higher elevations of the grass lands and pour it out there to enrich the grazing and have it well forward for the cows and stores and sheep in the month of May.
Referring back to the two half year hiring markets in Strabane each of two days' duration A great change has taken place there as instead of two days each half year the whole business is transacted on one day and that is always the fair-day too the 12th May and the 12th Nov. called "Old May Day and Old Hallow Day. New May Day and New Hallow Day are the 1st of May and 1st Nov respectively but the hiring periods or terms was never changed with the New Style Calendar. Two other hiring days occur on the Candlemas and Lamas terms viz: 1st Feb. and 1st Aug new style. Servants hired or engaged on 1st Feb. are for the period ending the 11th may and on 1st Aug for the harvest period ending the 11th Nov.

Long ago the people used to have a large number of pisreogs on May day. If it was said, a woman that came into the house first the people would not like it. They would say she was bringing in the bad luck.
They would not give away anything to anybody on May day, only to a beggar man. When he would come in they would give him great welcome. They would say he was bringing in the good luck.
The old people would not allow anybody to bring fire outside the door. Everybody would have matches on May day. The old people would not allow any fire outside the door.
Long ago the people used to keep May day as a great feast day of the Blessed Virgin. They used to go to Confession and Communion on May day morning. The old people would not let anyone milk the cows on that day that did not milk them before.

they could not get any milk. They used to put a coal under the churn on May Day to have plenty of butter. The first to skim the well on May morning would have the most butter. It was not to put out ashes on May day or to clean out cabins on May day. The old people used to have everything done the evening before. One May night as the fairies were going about they went in to John Machen's house. They put down a fine fire and they began dancing and playing music and shouting. At last they went up stairs and they began shouting and they wakened John Machen. When John got up in the morning he saw the fire down and said that the fairies must play wondours. It is not right to change money or buy anything on May Day. If you would make the churning on May day you would not have any butter again for the year. If May day is fine we will have a fine Sumer, but if May Day is wet we will have a bad Sumer.

he said, "As there are three leaves on one stem there are also Three Persons in One God". St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland.May Day. May day is the first day of Summer and there are several superstitious beliefs about this day for instance people say that you should not go into a new house or churn butter on that day or give any milk away for they say the fairies have power over anything you give away and you are also giving away the luck. It is considered lucky to wash your face in the dew on May day because they say you will have your health all the year round if you do.
On May day people make altars in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary because May is the month of Our Lady. In our church we have May devotions in her honour.

Saint Stephen's is held on the 26th of December. People who do not eat meat on this day are supposed never to be sick during the year. On this night the "Wren Boys" go around from house to house looking for money to bury the wren. They divide the money they get.
Saint Brigid's feast day is held and on the first day of February. Saint Patricks feast day is held on the 17th March. People wear shamrock on this day. In some places the band plays on this day.
On Shrove Tuesday people make pancakes. Nobody can get married after this day till Lent is over. On May-day, the children get a may bush and they put it into the ground and they light candles on it. They also dance and sing around it.
On Holy Thursday the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is held. On Good Friday, the Stations of the Cross are held and at three o'clock everyone kisses the Cross. On Easter Sunday the children get chocolate Easter eggs. They also get some hen eggs. The sun is said to be dancing in the sky on Easter morning. May used to be a hiring month, Employers used to hire men from May to Hollantide. Long ago everyone used to go to the May Fair in Drogheda and and hire people. The boys used to be on one side of the street and the girls on the other side.

The people had a great many customs for certain days such as "May Day", 24th June, or St. John's Day and November's night. On May Day they would not put out the ashes that day or they would be putting good luck out of the house for the year. In the morning they would not put out the fire until they saw smoke coming out of the chimney of another's house.

would rub the stuff that they would have after the twelve candles on the cow's horns and udder for luck. If you put a horse nail in your pocket on May Day you will lose no money out of it for the year. It is not lucky to give away milk or anything on that day. Do not throw out the cow's bed on May Day. It is not right to change a threepenny bit on that day.

Some years ago the people were very supersticious, but now these superstitions are dying away, and the people know little about them.
Long ago, on New Year's Day the people would not throw out any water. If they did they said that they would have no luck for the year. They would give nothing away on that day either for fear they would be giving away for the whole year.
if they had any special work on hands they always did their best to start it on a Friday. If they were going to live in a new house they would be sure to go on that day. Friday was said to be a lucky day
On May day nobody would give any milk away on May Day for fear he would be left without butter until May Day would come again. Up to the present some still continue to do that. On May morning the butter used to be "brought". Nobody knows how that was done. Crops were often "brought" too but perhaps it might have been imagination. Sometimes crops are bad.

There are many feasts observed in this district. On St. Stephen's day the children go out wren-hunting. Any one who does not eat meat on that day will not take fever. On May day people gathers May flowers and make the sign of the Cross outside their doors with the flowers. People do not like doors with the flowers. People do not like to borrow things on that day. On Whit Sunday people do not fish.

Whit Sunday and Whit Monday.
Whit week is the second week of June. People never go out on water on Whit Sunday or Whit Monday. It is said that if a child is born on Whit Monday he or she will meet its death in an accident.
May Day. May day is the first day of May. It is an old custom not to give away milk on May day or plough day.
Saint John's Day Saint John's Day is celebrated on the 24th of June. There is always a Pattern held on that day in this district and people do stations round Saint John's well which is in this district.
Generally known by all people here

Saturdays is thought an unlucky day for marriage and May an unlucky month. There is an old saying "Marry in may and you'll regret the day" Tuesday is an unlucky day for beginning house building, Saturday is thought an unlucky day for flitting. There is an old saying "Saturday flitting is a short sitting". "The cross Day of the year is supposed to be Saint Patrick's day because the people used to wear crosses their breast on that day.

always have roast beef. Then they have some kind of a pudding and jelly for desert after their dinner. Everyone likes Easter Sunday. May Day.
May Day is the first of the Summer. The people observe many customs about that day. Some people never change to a new job on May day as they think it very unlucky. Other people never go to a new house on that day, as they think that the fairies have possession of the house, and they think that they would never have a day's luck in it. Then some people never churn on that day as they think that the fairies would run away with the butter.
If a poor person or a neighbour, went to a house for a drink of milk, some people would not give it to them, as they consider it very unlucky to give away anything on May Day. They

People don't give anything away on New Year's Day.If a person breaks anything on New Year's Day it is said that he will be breaking something for the whole year.Some people do not put ashes out on New Year's Day because it is said that is is not lucky.May DayPeople do not put out ashes on May Day, because it is not lucky. People do not milk their cows on May Day.Novembers DayAnyone does not pick black berries after November's Day.May DayMay morning a woman went to a

Easter: The old people always arose before dawn on Easter Sunday morning as they believed that the sun dances every Easter Sunday. The people competed with each other and see who would eat the most eggs.
May Eve & May Day: May flowers are scattered outside every door to keep out the fairies. Milk is not given away on May Day. Girls washed their faces in the dew before sunrise to have a beautiful complexion.
St. John's Day: June 24th is the very first day that the "new" potatoes were dug to provide "caulcallon" for the dinner.
On the eve of St. John's Day the "bonfire" blazed and the young men and women danced and sung and made merry around the bonfire and little boys threw lighted "clods" at each other and the fun lasted until midnight.
Michaelmas: The feast of St. Michael Sept. 29th was also a "set" day. The people rejoiced and feasted on this day and thanked God and St. Michael for the fruits of the harvest. A dance was held that night and they decorated their houses with Michaelmas daisies.
Nov 1st. - Oct. 31st. The fairies change in May and November from one fort to another. It is said they can't fight in a battle without having a human person. Numbers of tricks are played on Halloween night.
St. Martin's Day: 11th Nov. Millers never let the mill wheel turn on St. Martin's Day in honor of St. Martin who was ground in a mill. A fowl or animal is always killed in every house and the blood spilled in honor of St. Martin. "St. Martin takes before, but not after". The story is that of a poor widow woman who sent her son out to search the ridge for potatoes. It being in the famine period, he got none, but the mother took the only food she had - an old goose - & killed it in honor of St Martin. People used to give presents on St. Martins Day.

May Day : -
On May morning the people used be up at break of day trying to steal the water from the wells. They used also be stealing the milk and butter. Anybody would not give away milk May day because it was supposed that butter and milk would be stolen for the year. The people used also bring in a May bough to welcome the summer. If the first snail you met May morning was black you would marry a black haired person and if he was grey you would marry a fair haired person.St Martins Day : -
On St. Martins Day a cock is killed and the blood is spilled. No wheels are supposed to be worked on that day because on that day November the 11th St Martin was killed in a mill.Fools Day : -
On that day the people make fools of one another. That day falls on the 1st of April.St Swithen's Day : -
This day falls on the 15th of July if it be wet it will be wet for forty days after.St. John's Day : -

The people used to have a great many customs long ago, on May-day. They used not put down a fire until they would see smoke out of another ones chimney and they would not put out the ashes on that day either. Another custom they used to have on May-day also, is that they would not give out milk to anyone. The people have not any of those customs now.

Nobody ever does hard work or does any work with horses on Easter Monday, May Day, or Whit Monday. If you asked any thing from a person May Day they would not give it to you because they say you would take the luck from them. They do not do any work at all on Whit Monday because there does be lots of accidents that day. One time there was a man living in Killeeneen who went working on Whit Monday with horses and they say he never lived to see the next Whit Monday and he had no luck after that.

[?] May-day-Long ago the people carried out strange customs on May-day. They would get a hawthorn bush and stick it in the mud outside the door and cover it with a bouquet of different flowers. This was supposed to be in honour of the Blessed Virgin. The people believed that on May-day the butter could be taken away out of the churn before sunrise and that the third generation of a black-smith could then tell who took it. The people would not give away milk on that day also.
St. John's Day - On St John's Day long ago everyone would light a fire on the roadside and dance around it but this was a pagan custom. The young lads would go around that night and milk the neighbours' cows and then they would buy loaves and boil the milk and itself together and eat it.
St Martins Day - Long ago the people would kill fowl on St Martin and put three crosses on the door of the fowl. This was a very old custom and it was carried out till the late years.

May day falls every year on the first of May. The month of May is kept in honour of the Blessed Virgin. Every-one should say the rosary every night during the month of May.
There is a lot of stories told about May day. Long ago the people did not believe in giving away any milk on that day as they thought it was not right and they also thought it would take the butter from the cows. Some people now at the present time do not believe in giving away milk on May day.
The people around this place make May-bushes on the first of May. They pull a bush and gather flowers and tie them on to the bush with strings and stick it on the ground and after that they say their prayers around it to honour our Blessed Mother and they make a little Altar and put flowers every day on it during May. The people long ago used to make May-bushes and they also used to make a little Altar.
The people had another old custom on May day. They thought that the butter could be taken out of the churn before sunrise and that the third generation of a black-smith could tell who took it and why it was taken. It was is said that the third generation of a black-smith