On Saint Stephen's day boys and men dress in old bags and rags and go through the towns and country getting money to bury the wren. There is a story told about the wren. One Saint Stephen's day there was a skirmish fought between the Irish and English. The English were asleep and their enemies were approaching them. The wren was in the furze and hopped on their drum and made a noise. The English awoke and beat back the Irish. This is why the wren is not liked by Irishmen. The following few lines are written about the wren -
"The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,
On Saint Stephen's day was hid in the furze.

On St Stephens Day the people go round with the wren. The bigger boys put false faces on them so that they would not be known. Some of the big boys bring a wren in a jam pot, while others bring a stick with a match box and a feather on the end of it. Some songs are songs are sung such as "the wren the wren the King of all birds St Stephens Day she was caught in the furze though she was small her family is great rise up young lady and give us a treat.

the wren boys go around gathering money to bury the wren. They go around all day and when night comes they divide the money equally among them. There were more wren boys in former years than at present. Some of the wren boys go together and have a dance. Others of them go to the town and enjoy themselves after their long day's travelling.

The wren boys come out on St Stephen's Day and go to every house with a wren on the top of a stick. If anyone would not give them anything they would bury the wren at the door stop. This is a rhyme which the wren boys sing on St Stephen's day

small bird and is of a brown colour.
On St Stephen's day boys hunt and kill the wren for amusement.
Having killed the wren they go round the neighbouring houses taking the dead body of wren with them.
When they approach the house, they recite the following rhyme: The wren the wren the king of all birds on St. Stephen's night she was caught in the furze although she is small her family is great rise up landlady and give us a treat it is not a treat we want but money we crave and if we dont get that we will dig the wren's grave.
Then wren builds its nest in the trunk of an old tree or in

The "Wren boys" go about in processions on St Stephen's day from house to house.
They dress up in order to disguise themselves. They wear false faces, old torn clothes, etc. They play mouth organs, and sing songs about the wren. They go about from house to house looking for money, and some of them collect a small sum. They divide the money between them.
The wren boys go about the country trying to catch the wren. When they succeed they put it in a box and bring it round from house to house. They ask the people to give them a penny to bury the "Wren" in these words.
"The Wren, the Wren, the King of all birds,
St Stephen's day she was caught in the fords.
Although she's small her family's great,
So rise up Landlady, and give us a treat,
Its money we want, and its money we crave,
So if you don't give us that,
We'll bury the wren."

The traditions I have heard of is about St Stephens day. On St Stephens day a number of boys gather up and go from house to house. They play mouth organs and flutes. These boys pretends they have a wren with them. When the music is over they ask for money. If the people refuses the money. The boys say they will bury the wren at their door. Then the people gives them money. The boys have an old rhyme which they say, "The wren the wren the king of all birds, on St Stephen's day she was caught in the fur. Her body was small. Her family was great. Rise up young ladies and give us a treat. Its money we want. And its money we crave. If we dont get the money we will open the grave.

On St. Stephen's Day bands of boys and girls go from house to house asking for money. They wear false faces and have a box on the end of a stick in which they stick feathers to make people think they have a wren. The say a rhythm which begins " The wren, the wren the king of all birds, St Stepthen's Day he was caught on the furze.... and make music. When night falls they go (the ) to a public house and spend the money.

On Saint Stephen's day the wren boys dress up in all sorts of coloured garments, and they visit the towns and country houses collecting money to bury the wren". If you do not give them any money they will bury the wren at your door step. Then there would be a curse on you for ever.

was in flight. The Eagle soared along higher than any other bird and proclaimed in a loud voice "I am king of the wren birds". The little wren all the time hidden now flew out and soared over the Eagle and shouted "I am king of the birds". So ever after that the wren wasknown as the king of all birds.

On St. Stephen's day:- On St. Stephen's Day the boys and sometimes the girls also dress up in disguise and go from house to house singing the wren song which is
The wren the wren the king of all birds
St. Stephen's Day 'twas caught in the furze
Up with the kettle and down with the pan
Give us some money or we will bury the wren. Long ago they used really carry a live wren tied to a pole. Twas considered unlucky to bury the wren at anyone's doorstep, therefore to avoid the misfortune the

called after her on the first of February.
The day following Christmas has always been known as St. Stephen's day, and on that day the "wren boys" go round searching for money, they dance and play until they get some money, the sing "The wren, the wren, the king of all birds, on St. Stephen's day he was caught in the furze, up with the kettle and on with the pan, give us a few coppers to bury the wren".

They hang their stockings by the fire side into which their people put presents which they get in the morning. On Christmas day it is a custom for all to be in their own houses, and each family has its own amusement for that day. On St Stephen's, boys and grown up men gather and go in procession with decorated bushes singing the wren song. They carry a dead wren in a little box and if they are refused money they bury the wren at the person's door and this is supposed to bring ill luck. The following are the verses sung by the wren

On St. Stephen's Day we have Wren Boys in this district. But the customs has almost died out. The Wren-song seems to be forgotten except for a couple of lines. "The Wren The Wren, The King of all bird, On Christmas day he was caught in the furze." There were no wren boys in this district last Christmas. Money was the chief object in view. It was spent on a party and dance.
At Hallowe'en the boys dress up in grotesque clothing with false faces and go round the neighbourhood, knocking at doors and asking for money. This custom also is apparently dying out.
None of the other festivals are observed in any special way.

The best known and most observed festival of the whole year is that on St. Stephen's day.
For some days before it, the boys searchf or wrens and kill them so as to have a dead wren to stick in a matchbox when going on their rounds. Early on St. Stephen's day boys and girls dressed up in many disguises go round from house to house singing a rhyme about the wren such as
"The wren, the wren, the King of all birds
St Stephen's day we were caught in the furs
Althoug he is small, his family is great
Rise up yon landlady and give us a treat
Up with the kettle and down with the pan
Out with some money or we'll bury the wren.
It was supposed that to leave the wren about your house or bury it was very unlucky. Some of the wren boys have musical instruments and in this district they sing or dance at each house. Some groups travel far on bicycles or in motors. The small boys and girls go round in the daytime and the full-grown people at night. The

It is the custom in this district for "wren boys" to travel on Saint Stephen's day. They are dressed in straw and carry a live wren on top of a stick. They go from house to house demanding money or they will bury the wren at the door. The burying of the wren is supposed to bring bad luck, so they get pennies in almost every house.
This is their rhyme:-
The wren, the wren the king of all birds.
St Stephens day she was caught in the furze.
Rise up landlady and give us a treat.
Up with the kettle and down with the pan.
Give us some money or we will bury the wren.

Some of the boys in this district gather up on St. Stephen's day and hunt the wren. They dress up like Indians and go about from house to house gathering money. The people give them money because they might bury the wren in the land and bad luck would come to that person. They dance and sing in the houses to which the go but some people do not let them in. They have several different wren-songs and they sing a different song at every house.
Here is one of the songs they sing|:-
The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,
On St. Stephen's day was got dead in the furze,
Up with the pot, and down with the pan,
If you don't give me something,
I will bury the wren.

The Wren.
One day the pigeon went to the wren to ask her how to put a roof on her nest. The wren began to tell her, "You put a stick this way."
"O, yes, yes I know all that," says the pigeon."
"Then you put another stick this way." says the wren.
"O yes, yes, I know all that" says the pigeon.
"Then you begin to put moss this way." says the wren.
"O yes, yes, I know all that" says the pigeon.
"Well when you know so much, you can go and finish it yourself," says the wren.
"The pigeon went off, and never found out how to put a roof on her nest. She just puts a

In this locality many are the customs that are still like with the subject of this paragraph. Most boys and even young men go around with the wren. Sometimes they dress up in a girl's outfit so that the people would not recognize them. They bring mouth organs and violins with them or sometimes they sing the following sing
"The wren, the wren the king of all birds
St. Stephen's day she was caught in the furze
Up with the kettle and down with the pan
If we do not get money we will bury the wren."
these "wren boys" as they are called receive small tokens in every house. As the sum is nigh its setting they return to some nearby village. They count their gathering there and they divide it equally among themselves. From there they go to some dance hall and they spent the night there trying to amuse themselves and others

with the wren" when they were boys and they never object to us practising the same custom. Every year as St. Stephen's Day comes round, pairs of boys may be met with on every road and lane or seen crossing the fields to some homestead saying the wren song.
If the wren was ever chased or caught in this district it must be a very long time ago. The cruel custom has long died out. A few feathers represent the bird on a box tied to as tick.
Schools boys from about seven to fourteen years go with the wren. They go around in pairs sometimes two brothers. One penny or two pence is what they usually get at each house. But they dont object if they get silver nor do they grumble if they get nothing. Very seldom are they refused unless when pockets run scanty.
Only when night begins to fall to they return home. The days takings are carefully counted and divided evenly, and left aside for pocket money by tired but happy "Wren boys."