robin builds a small nest of moss and hair and feathers. She builds it in a holly bush and she lays about four eggs. The robin eats crumbs and insects such as worms and snails etc. etc.
The wren which is the smallest of all birds is as important as any of them. He is a fairly good singer. There is no bird has as big a family as the wren. The wren lays sometimes as many as from twelve to fifteen eggs.
It is said that the wren was the cause of St. Stephens death. When a crowd of people were out looking for St. Stephen a wren began to sing in a bush. The wren attracted the peoples attention and in looking over at the bush they saw St. Stephen hidden in the bush.

The Wren - "Jenny" Wren is here every season, the tail is always erect, and eyes sparkling, very small brown bird with a "top" on head. She always gives forth a ringing note, and can be seen flitting about our hedgerows. Although so small the wren is the king of the birds the fable being - All the birds gathered together to consult which of them would be king. After much thought and worry they decided that the bird which flew highest would be king. The eagle was about to be proclaimed king, when the little wren who was on the eagle's back fluttered above them all, and thus was proclaimed king. The wren builts its nest in the thatch of houses, or in a white or black thorn bush. The nest is roofed like a little cottage. She builds several nests during the season probably to shield her in bad weather. She lays from 10 to 20 small blue eggs.
On St. Stephen's night the boys of the district collect together, and go from house to house and say the following rhyme at the door
"The wren, the wren, the king of all birds
Was caught in the firs on St Stephen's Day
Up with the kettle, and down with the pan
Give me a penny to bury the wren"
They then dance, and are given donations. They then "rise a dance"

games which everyone enjoys himself at. First get a big tub half full with water and then put a sixpence into the water and whoever is the lucky one gets a sixpence.
On St. Stephens day all the town boys and the country boys gather together in groups and go around from house to house collecting money to bury the wren. One of these boys in his hand carries a little wren which he caught in the hedge in the morning. When they reach the house they hold the wren in there hands and they sing these words.
''The wren the wren the king of all birds, on St. Stephens day she was

as the " Wren-boys Day ". It is an old custom which has been held in Ireland for centuries. It consists of a number of boys travelling from house to house carrying a dead wren in a coffin decorated with holly and ivy and asking for money to bury the wren. From earley morning batches of wren-boys may be seen usually ten or twelve dressed in coloured paper and playing musical instruments such as trumpets, french fiddles and tin-flutes. They dance and sing and perform many tricks. They have also a rhyme which they recite together which is

don't give the wren boys some money you will have bad luck the whole year round, and they will bury a wren outside your door.

Festivals are held in our district on St Stephens Day, on Christmas Day, New Years Day, Easter Sunday. On St Stephens Day, boys go around with decorated bushes and a dead wren in the bush and they sing "The wren, the wren, the King of all birds, St Stephens Day he was caught in a fur, although he is small his family is great, wise up land lady and give us the price of a treat." They get money and they dance and when night comes they go off and drink that money. They are called wren boys. On Easter Suday people eat as many eggs as they are able.

St. Stephen's Day: The people have a custom of hunting the wren on St. Stephen's Day. A crowd of boys used to catch a wren and kill her and put her on the top of a long stick and go along the roads winding the stick. They would be dressed in all sorts of funny clothes. They would go around to every house and dance and some of them would play music and then they would ask for some money to bury the wren. They generally got money in every house they went to. They do not have any wren with them nowadays but they just dress up and go out as they would long ago.

On St Stephen's Day about 60 years ago people used to go to Mass. It was a holiday of obligation long ago and they kept it as a retrenched holiday. After mass the wren boys began to gather in, groups of little boys in twos and threes, one of them acting as a leader and carrying a match box in which was sometimes a dead wren and at other times only a feather.
They asked money to bury the wren and said this rhyme:- The wren the wren the king of all birds St Stephens Day She was caught in a furze. Although she is small her family is great, get up Mrs --- and give us a trate (treat).
Some member of the family gave them a

eagle was far above them and the wren still on his back.
The other birds came to the ground and the eagle thought he had won the flight, but when the eagle came to land the other birds were there. The wren had went a little higher than the eagle because he was on his back. The wren started shouting "I am king of the birds" and from that day till this the wren has been king of the birds. The wren is a small brown bird.
The goldfinch is a brown bird mixed with a little red and white and he is about the same size as the robin. The goldfinch is a beautiful songster and a lot of people catch him and put him in a bird cage and keep in the kitchen

St. Stephen's day got its name from St. Stephen. On that day the children and grown up boys enjoy themselves. The boys of the country get a wren and kill it and put it in a box. They dress in rags and go from house to house gathering money to bury the wren. When they go to a house they sing the Wren's song.
The wren the wren the king of all birds
St. Stephen's day he was caught in the furze.
Up with the kettle and down with the pan,
Give us a penny to bury the wren.

of good weather. The Wren is King of the all the birds. They had a tried flight. The Bird that could fly highest was to be King. The Eagle went up the highest and when she was going to announce her Victory. The wren who was hid in the Eagle's feathers flew out and was King. The Eagle was mad at this trick and conjured the wren that she can never fly higher than from bush to bush.

or mouth-organ on which he plays the dance music. The boys carry a small box in which a dead wren is supposed to lie, (sometimes there is a real bird enclosed), this box is decorates with holly and ivy, and is attached to a piece of stick about a foot long. The wren-boys, before dancing repeat the following rhyme.
"The wren, the wren, the king of all birds, St. Stephen's Day she was caught in the furze, Although she is small her family is great; So I hope that your honour will give us a treat; If you treat us small it will not agree with the wen-boy all; But if you treat us of the best, I hope it's in heaven your soul will rest, So up with the kettle

eggs is pale blue, and a thrushes (sic) are white with brown spots on them. The robin's eggs are pale brown and very small. The wren's eggs are blue with white spots on them and are smaller than any others. The wren builds a round nest with a hole in the front and back. If swallows are flying low it is a sign of rain. When wag-tails come around a house or are picking things off the road it is a sign of bad weather. If crows gather together on the top of a hill in the evening it is a sign of rain. It is said that once our Lord walked across a field of corn where the men were sowing it, and at once the corn sprung up. The men were told to say that our Lord passed when the wheat was sown. The men said this when the soldiers came, and they were going away when the wren said "The corn was sown yesterday.' Since then the wren is hunted in Ireland. It is said that when our Lord was dying the robin was beside the cross, and blood fell on him, and that is -that- the reason the robin has a red breast.

An old custom is this district is to go around from house to house on St. Stephen's Day gathering money. In old times the crowd used to have adead wren and they would threaten to bury the wren at the door of the house that would not give them some money. At the present time the crowd of boys have no wren. If the wren was buried at the door it was supposed to bring ill-luck to the people of the house. The boys are dressed in straw and have false faces. Sometimes boys are dressed like girls and the girls play the parts of boys. They have musical instruments with them - a melodeon, a violin and a flute. Two three or four arrange themselves on the floor for a dance. When the music begins - generally an Irish reel - they dance for some time. Special dancers are selected for this and they often times acquit themselves very creditably. Sometimes they sing a song - an old Irish song - and when the performance is over they rattle a box for money. They get generally some money in every house and if they are refused they get bold and arrogant and leave the house with reluctance. At the end of the day they have a large sum of money and they divide it among

it is said that when our Saviour was being crucified the little robin tried to pull out the thorns that crowned our Savior's head and while doing so a drop of blood fell on the breast of the robin and from that onwards every robin has a red breast.

In this locality the people spend holidays in a very funny manner.

Stories of the Holy Family

Christmas Day
In every Church on that morning all the Priests have leave to read three Masses. On that morning all the people of the family wish each other a happy Christmas and they wish their neighbours a happy Christmas.

St. Stephen's Day is the day after Christmas. On that day young men go out after the wren and sing the wrens song. If they kill the wren according to an old custom they would break a rib in the devil.

The Wren lays seventeen or eighteen small eggs. She hatches the eggs for three weeks and small birds come out. At first these birds are not nice because there are no feathers on them. When they are fully feathered the mother bird teaches them to fly.
In this country it is a custom on St Stephens day for young men to gather up and go around from house to house collecting money to bury the wren.
Some time afterwards these boys ask some farmer would he give them his house for a dance. This dance is called the wren boy's dance.
The wren is not liked by the people. It is supposed to have spied on our Lord.