Xmas, without its "Mummers", would be anything but the jolly season it is in this neighbourhood. Making their appearance about three weeks before the Great Day these merry-makers are looked forward to and welcomed by all.Each townland in the district has its band of Mummers composed of some six to ten young lads aged from ten to twenty years. When the day's work is over they meet at some previously selected centre, all dressed up for the occasion, and set out on their rounds often accompanied by a dozen or more admirers who, however, take no part in the "performance" given by the Mummers but remain outside the houses while their heroes are inside disporting themselves. Old and discarded female attire is mostly worn by the Mummer, it being no unusual sight to see " King George " or " Oliver Cromwell " arrayed in his mother's or " big " sister's skirt and cloak that have seen their best days. Boot polish, soot, or more commonly a " false " face(?) hides the identity of the character while a head dress consisting of an old cap, caubeen, or immense cone-shaped hat of paper, completes the outfit.Arrived in the vicinity of a house the Mummers approach the door as silently as possible lest they alarm the occupants or provoke the displeasure of an all too keen watchdog. A gentle knock and admission is gained. Once inside all restraint vanishes. With a " Room!, room! gallant boys " or a " Here comes I " the leader chants his rhyme gesticulating the while

New Year's Day is another great feast and it falls on the 1st January. It is a Holiday of Obligation and it occurs during the Twelve Days of Christmas. Numerous crowds of men called "Mummers" go out on that day and they go around from house to house singing and dancing and gathering money. It is only the big men that disguise themselves, who are called "Mummers."

mummer represents some noble man of Érin long ago. Sometimes each set differs in the noble men they represent. The Bridge mummers represented "Michael Dwyre, Art Mac Murragh, Colum Cille, Father John Murphy, Patrick Sarsfield, John Kelly, Wolfe Tone, Brian Boru, King William and others.
They dance all Irish dances and they dance to a Melodian and a Flute. Some farmers invite the mummers to their barn, and when they are finished mumming they give everyone the tea, and then they go out in the barn again and dance until morning.
When the mumming season is over, the mummers hold a ball. They all give some subscription and they buy what they think will be enough to give tea to themselves and the people they invite
Then they go to some farmer and ask him for the largest barn he has, they go to the barn the night before the ball and decorate it with nice papers, they sweep it out, and get lamps for the following night. Then they go and ask a couple of girls to get the tea ready for those who they are going to entertain. The crowd turns up about eight o'clock and they mum first then they get the tea, and when the tea is over they dance until five or six o'clock. This is a custom with every set of mummers around here.

or "baneens ad armed with their reaping forks. Then the farmer passed through them and having eyed them all picked out those that he considered most suitable for his work.The Mummers -
Mumming is still a favourite winter past-time among the working classes in County Wexford.A Set of Mummers is composed of sixteen men or boys who dress in quaint coloured costumes representing historical Irish characters, etc. They then go through a sort of figure-dancing saying comic rhymes, and beating time to the music with their wooden batons. During the Mumming season each farmer in turn gives a free night to the Mummers. He supplies a supper and allows them the use of his barn where the "Mummers Ball" is carried

The mummers dance is held on the week It is held in a neighboring house or sometimes in a hall. The mummers themselves and people that they invite attend it. The people buy the Christmas cake in a shop or get one as a present.

With the feast of Christmas we have the "Mummering". It begins on St. Stephen's night and ends on Twelfth night. The boys have a great many rhymes:- The little devil, The wren, Tom fool, The doctor, Prince George and Room rhyme.
Here comes I room rhyme brave gallant boys give us room to rhyme "Activity" in and "Activity" out the like was never acted in a gentle man's state, the sound of a horn the beat of a drum, we are the "mummers" that are to come, we are the mummers that walk the street, we are the mummers that beat all we meet. I and four more bet four score curse, swore, tattered and tore, the devil the like of a beaten they ever got in all their lives before.
Little devil in, little devil out, chawing tobacco in my mouth too much for one too little for two what the devil shall I do. Money I want and money I crave if you don't give me money I'll put you all

And if you don’t believe what I say
Enter the lady and she will soon clear the wayThe lady is really a boy dressed up to resemble a female. He is dressed in a girls costume, shoes, stockings and a hat with a veil which covers the face. He is powdered and painted and his lips are covered with lipstick. He saysHere comes I the lady,
Looking for Jack StrawShe goes up to Jack Straw who bends down and kisses her. The Fidelee Funny starts playing a reel and the lady and Jack Straw dance to it.After this one of the Mummers sings a song. Money is given to the Mummers after which with a shout of “Merry Christmas” the Mummers depart. They go round the whole parish calling at every house. They receive some money at most of the houses. With this money they hold a big dance to which they invite all those who have given them money (-) is spent on the dance and on a big supper and everyone present enjoys the Mummers dance and looks forward to another one the following

is why they are brought to the houses.St Stephans Day.
The people go out in the mummers, they blacken their faces with polish, and they go out looking for a wren to put on a stick, to bring to the houses with them. They also have a fool, and they give the fool the wren to carry with (them) him. They go around to the houses, and they get money from the people. They bring a horn with them, and they blow it. when they go into any house. Many people go out in the mummers gathering mooney. People love to see them coming, they make them sing and danceSome people do not let in the mummers to their house. They dress them selfes in every kind of clothes.

Mumming is a very old custom in this part of the country. In the month of November when all the work is done five or six boys get together they learn the mummers rhyme and they dress themselves up in old clothes and they paint their faces so that they would not be known.
Then they go around from district to district on bicycles collecting money, when they have a lot of money collected they hold a mummers dance on St Stephens night they buy food for the dance and they dress themselves

did not believe in God, caught him and stoned him to death.
On that day all the boys dress up in funny old clothes and go around from house to house singing and dancing and trying to get money from the people. These people are called the wren boys.The Mummers' Day.
The Mummers' Day falls on New Year's Day. On that day the small boys and the big boys dress up in old clothes and go out from house to house dancing and singing and nearly always they get money from the people. These boys are called the Mummers.Shrove Tuesday. A lot of people

At Christmas and for two weeks previous to the Feast itself “Mummers” are out on their rounds. Each townland has its own set of “Mummers” The boys some fourteen or fifteen of them, assemble in some house where they dress in their gruesome costumes. They are assisted by the young ladies of the neighbourhood who help to make the costumes. Each young man assumes the charater of some famous personage. There is the Captain and a Doctor, Prince George, Jack Straw Beelzebub. The women and the Lady. The Captain is the first to enter with great boldness and bravado. His rhyme is “Room, room gallant room give me room to say my rhyme to show my action coming in this Christmas time, Active young or active aged the like never was asked on a stage If you don’t believe what I say enter in Prince George and clear the way. Prince George enters. Here comes I Prince George from England I have sprung. I have been in war for seven years and

About two weeks before Christmas the “mummers” call at the houses in this district. Then they continue calling to different

A few weeks before Christmas people dress up and go round the houses looking for money and these are known as mummers.

As a rule each boy in a party of mummers receives a penny in every house. They dont carry a box for a general collection as is done in Donegal. Various disguises are worn, including false faces, hats bedecked with ribbons, shirts worn over coats, and skirts. Sometimes no disguises are worn.The mummers that I have seen in this district did not dance, or play an instrument and sang the wren song only when requested to do so. They had no rhymes or anything else that would give pleasure or entertainment to onlookers.On rare occasions grownups with fiddle, accordeon or flute, good singing dancing and humorous rhymes go around as mummers on St. Stephen's day. They can give some entertainment and are usually given silver tokens in the houses they visit. Such a party did so well as to be able to employ a motor car to bring them about a few years ago.
John Smith (Jnr) 31 yrs.
Carrickotobair
Crosskeys

There are different customs carried out in this district at every feast during the year. On St. Stephen's day it is the general custom that all the boys of the district go out in the morning and hunt the wren until night. When night comes they gather together again in some neighbouring house and prepare to go out. They got a few sheaves[?] of straw and make big straw hats that will fall down over their eyes and faces so that they so that they wont be known, when they go into the houses. then they get a fife or some musical instrument and off they start for the nearest house where they go to as "Wren boys" or "mummers," to dance and sing for a few minutes and when they are leaving the man of the house gives them some money and on they go to the next house, to do the same thing over again until they have visited every house in the district. Then they count all their money and if they get a fairly decent amount they agree to get up a dance in some house known as the "mummers join"[?]
On the eve of St. Bridgets Day it is the

people about twenty or thirty years over these events is almost gone. They are treated now as everyday happenings.
Xmas is the last Feast of the year. A month before the feast, we see signs of its approach. In this district we have no wren boys as in other places, Instead we have Mummers. Mummers are the young boys of the place who gather up together, dress themselves in old clothes, cover up their faces, put on tall hats, and go out to gather money for a big night around Christmas. These boys each play a different part, they have a Rhyme suitable for each. They go into the houses as follows. First man to enter calls himself Room. He says
“Here comes I room give me room to rhyme Till I show you some activity about this christmas time. With my pockets full of money and my barrels full of beer

Feasts of the Year.
The mummers go round from house to house about three weeks before Christmas. About seven boys dress up in women's clothes, and in white shirts and in old rags and go out after dark, and one of them carries a tin box and he collects money in it. They all go to somebody's door and knock and say. "Are there any admittens for the Christmas mummers." They say, "come in", and they come in and go over the rhyme. One man comes in at a time, and the first one comes in and says "room room a gallen boys, and give me room to rhyme, and I'll show you some activity about the christmas time." The second man comes in and says. Here comes I Gillispie, Gillispie is my name, and with my sword and pistol, I meant to win the game." "A gamesir a game sir was never in my power I'll cut you up in inches in less than half an hour." Then he kills the other man and

Téigheann na "Mummers" amach achan bliadhain ag Nodlag. Téigeann siad thart ó teach go teach san oidhche ag rádh ramhnas agus ag ceól agus gnídheann cuid aca damhsa. Béireann na daoine sa thoig airgead dóbhtha fosta. Ocht gclaigne de buachaillí óga a téigeann amach. Bíonn siad gleasta i léinteacha bána agus hátaí móra árda le achan seort sibiní agus páipéir de achan dath air an háta. Bíonn claidheamh déanta as amuid le achan fear aca. Bíonn duine de na Mummers na doctúir aca. Bíonn seisean gleasta i gcóta agus háta dubh agus bata leis agus aghaidh bhréagach air. Leanann a léir daoine iad ó teac go theach. Agus nuair a bíonn deireadh na dtoighe déanta aca, beireann siad damhsa i sgiobal éigin. Agus béireann siad tae do acan duine ag an damhsa.

About a dozen of people meet together at Xmas time and go about from house to house singing songs and saying rhymes. The people are called Mummers or Moonlighters. They are a very common band especially in the north.
Mummering is unlawful and these young people have to ask permission from the Garda or police and give their word that will be of good behaviour.
Mummers are dressed in all sorts of rediculous clothes and paper hats and one playing the roll of Jack Straw has sheaf of corn on his head. The people in the house which they visit give them a piece

holding the money divides it equally among them. Then they buy sweets or "cakes" or anything they like with the money.New Year' s EveOn New Year's Eve, a crowd of young men go around to the houses. They dress themselves with old coats, straw-hats, and false faces, and they carry sticks with them. They are called "mummers".One of them gives commands and he is called the "captain". There is another person who dresses himself in women's clothes and he is called "the Mary Anne". When the "mummers" go to a house they demand admittance. Then they are let in and the music starts and "Mary Anne" and a few others begin to dance. Then the captain calls the other mummers to dance a turn. When they have finished dancing, the treasurer asks money. Then the man of the house gives them money and they thank him and wish him a happy New Year and then they depart. Then they have a dance in a certain house and they buy bread and jam with the money. Sometimes they buy drink.St. Brigid's DayOn St. Brigid's Day, the people used to make crosses from rushes. One person went out to get a bunch of rushes. He came back and knocked at the back door and asked if St. Brigid was welcome to come in. A person within answered and said she was.She came to the front door and the people within welcomed