It is a general custom for men and boys to go around from house to house singing the Wren Song. These men are called the “Wren Boys”. The Wren Boys disguise themselves as much as possible so that their neighbours would not recognize them. They have false faces and put them on thin faces. Besides this they wear girls’ dresses and old hats decorated with feathers. Some of them bring musical instruments, it being generally arranged if possible to have a musician in the party. When they arrive at the different houses the sing ‘The Wren Song’ and play music outside the door. If admitted they sing and dance for the occupants of the house, and usually get some money before leaving. After the day outing, the money received is divided equally among the different members of the party. The words of the ‘Wren Song’ are. The wren the wren the king of all birds, It was on St. Stephan’s Day that she was caught in the ferns. Up with the kettle and down with pan, Give is some money to bury the wren.

common story about the wren is how he got to be king of the birds. One day when the birds assembled together they said whichever of the birds would fly the highest would be the king of the birds. The wren went in under the eagle's wing. The eagle shouted "I am the king of the birds" and immediately the wren jumped out and said "I am the king of the birds" and ever since the wren is counted the king of the birds.

On St. Stephen's Day in my townland (Legan) it is customary for the young people to dress up in straw, and old clothes to go out 'to hunt the wren' as it is called. Some of them dress up as women with skirts, and put vizards on their faces, so that they will not be known. They try to catch a wren, and if they do not succeed they pretend to have one. They also bring with them musical instruments on which they play while the others dance and they sometimes sing, at each house. They usually get one penny or two pennies at each house, because they followed the wren, and it was the wren that betrayed St Stephen. The big people that take

go out to hunt the wren. They carry a holly bush with a dead wren in it. It they cannot killa wren they pretend that they have the wren in the middle of the bush. They sing songs and play music and dance. The people nearly always give them some money.

Christmas day falls on the 25th of December every year and the twelve days after it are called the twelve days of Christmas. The last one is called Little Christmas or Twelfth Day. On Christmas day nearly every one stays athome and there are seldom any parties. The people dress their houses with holly and mistletoe and Santa Claus comes to the children. The day after Christmas day is St. Stephens day. There was always a meet of the hounds in Bryanstown where there is a fox cover, but it was changed to Mearscourt because there were too many people there and the fox would run out of the cover and in again. The men and the boys go out to hunt the wren. They dress up in old clothes and they go to the houses gathering money. They catch a wren and they tie him on a piece of holly and they sing:- The wren the wren the

The wren is the king of all birds. One time all the birds had a meeting and they decided that which ever bird flew the highest would be their king. There was an eagle in the crowd and he wanted to be their king. When he was flying up the little wren lit on his tail when the eagle was up about a couple of mile he was worn out and when he was worn out the little wren flew off his tail

ST. STEPHENS DAY

On St. Stephen's day it is a customary for the children of this locality to go round with the wren. A pas-time in which boys and girls take part.
They dress in very funny clothes and they wear false faces. They go from house to house singing songs, dancing and playing music. The people of the house give them money. Some of the "Wren Boys" go walking, some go on bicycles, and in towns they go in motor cars.
The wren-song that they sing is
The wren, the wren the king of all birds,
St. Stephen's day was caught int he furze,
Up with the kettle, and down with the pan,
Give me a copper to bury the wren.

Long ago people called the wren "the devils bird". It was a very common practice with the youths in those days to hunt the wren with sticks and stones.

higher over the eagle's back and cried:= "You are not the King, I am the king".
Thus the wren on that day, was by his cleverness made "king of all the Birds".
The other birds were very much surprised when they saw the wren. They did not know nor never found out how the little bird got above them all.
This title "King of all Birds" occurs in the Christmas song:- "The wren, the wren, the king of all birds" - which is sung by country children on each St. Stephen's Day.

The following story is told about St. Stephen. The Jews were always spying on him because he used to be preaching about Our Saviour. One day the Jewish soldiers proposed to kill him and he went (to) up into a tree to hide. It happened that a wren was in the tree and when the soldiers can near the wren began to flutter.
The soldiers looked up and seeing Saint Stephen dragged him down and martyred him by throwing big stones at him. Since that the wren is supposed to be cursed.

These are the names of the birds round here the robin, the swallow, the wren, the cuckoo, the corncrake, the thrush, the blackbird, the linnet, the chaffinch, the goldfinch, the yellowhammer, the crow, the jackdaw, the starling, the mag-pie, the grey-wren, the pigeon, the bullfinch and the willie wag-tail. The cuckoo, the swallow and the corncrake are migratory birds. It is said that the robin perched on Our Lord's Cross and tried to pick the nails out of His hands and the blood dropped on His breast and that is how he got a red breast. The grey wren builds her nest of moss and lines it with hair. She builds it in a

people. The young boys and some young girls dress up in old clothes and false faces and go around from house to house playing music, singing and dancing for money. They also carried a dead wren on a stick and asked money to help to bury the wren and said the following shyme.
The wren, the wren the king of all birds.
St Stephen's day will be caught in a fir.
Up with the kettle and down with the pan
A penny or two pence to bury the wren.
Hallow Eve is a great feast too and long ago people used to be afraid to be out on that night. The people eat colcannon and potato-cake and leave over some for the good people lest they might be hungry. They used to roast nuts in the fire, one for a man and another for a woman, and if they ran away together they would be married and if they parted they would be separated. There was another game with three saucers, one with clay, one with water and one with a ring. A person was blindfolded and if he put his finger in the clay he would die, if he put it in the water he would go on

and could go no higher, the wren flew out from his hiding place. He flew up above the eagle and said he was the king of the birds. The other birds got jealous and they put him in a hole in a wall and left the owl to guard him for a month. One day the owl saw a mouse and went after him. When the wren saw him gone he flew away.

before the Rosary is ended.
The young children are delighted to see their candles last the longest. The night is called twelfth night that means twelve nights after Christmas.

St Stephen's Day. On this day the Wren boys go out in parties. They borrow or steal clothes to disguise themselves and wear vizards or lace over their faces. Some are dressed like women.
Several bands of them come to the door and sing and dance. One boy has a box supposed to hold a dead wren. They say this rhyme.
The wren the wren
the king of all birds
St Stephen's Day was caught
in a furze.
Up with the kettle and
down with the pan.
Give us some money to
bury the wren.
In the evening they divide the money and very often spend it in a public house.

On St Stephen's Day, boys go out all dressed to hunt the wren. These are called, "Mummers," or "Wren boys,". This is the song they sing.-
"The wren, the wren the king of all birds.
On St Stephens day he was caught in the firs.
All though he was small his family was great.
So cheer up old lady and give us a treat.
Up with the kettle and down with the pan.
Give us a copper and let us be gone,."
The wren-boys go about from house to house and they dance and sing and they get money.
Bon-fires are lit on St Peter and Paul's night. The child-ren play this game on Ash-Wed-nesday. They get papers and fasten them to each other unknown. These are called Ashy bags.
People play various

The Wren Song

On St Stephens day the boys and men used to go from house to house with a decorated bush and a dead wren on it. they used to play music and sing the wren song and gather money from the people which was divided among them. this custom is kept up yet but neither the dead wren or the bush is carried now.
On the feast of the Epiphany there was a custom for the people to light twelve rush candles and place them in a row. The number "twelve" was picked because it was the twelfth day after Christmas. Then if there were twelve people present each would pick a candle

banks. It lives on very tiny fish which it secures from the shallow waters. It can be seen in rivers flying from rock to rock. It builds its nest in sally twigs close to the waters edge. The Golden Wren is smaller than the other wren. It is a little golden in the colour with two well marked white feathers on each side. Its habits are the same as the other Wren.
The Yellow Hammer is very much like a Canary in size and colour. It builds in the side of a ditch in old grass and lines its nest with hay. It lays four eggs white with brown specks. The Yellow Hammer flies peculiar way. It opens its wings and rises then closes them again and drops and continues in this way in an up and down manner. It does not fly far as its wings are weak. It feeds on groundsel.