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  1. St Stephen's Day

    Teanga
    Béarla
    Bailitheoir
    Kevin Hickey

    7-12-38
    It is the custom on St .Stephen's Day for Wren Boys to go around from house gathering money to bury the wren and singing the wren song.If people of the house refuse them money the wren is buried at their doorstep, and it is said that the house would have no luck for the coming year.The Wren Boys are dressed in various odd ways.The song that the Wren Boys sing is
    The Wren, the Wren, the king of all birds,
    St Stephen's Day was caught in the furze,
    Although she is small her family is great,
    Get up Paddy Reilly and give us a treat.

  2. (gan teideal)

    “The 'Wren Boys' go round on St Stephen's Day.”

    Teanga
    Béarla
    Bailitheoir
    Michael Keane
    Faisnéiseoir
    Thomas Keane

    old clothes. They wear false faces. They put the wren on top of a stick. They sing "The wren the wren the king of all birds. They gather some money. They have a fiddle with them. They come from far away. Four boys come together each time. They go round on bicycles.

  4. How the Wren Became King of the Birds

    Teanga
    Béarla
    Bailitheoir
    Laurence Dallard

    One day, all the birds came together to see which of them would be king. To do this, they began to fly upwards to see which of them would fly the highest. While the birds were soaring upwards, the wren sat under the eagle's wing. The eagle thought he went the highest, but then he saw the wren was higher. When the eagle stopped soaring, the wren came out from under his wing and flew a bit higher. The wren became king that day. The other birds decided to kill the wren, because he was too small to be king, but they did not.
    Laurence Dallard
    Fartha

  5. St Stephen's Day

    Teanga
    Béarla
    Bailitheoir
    Kitty Carolan

    to play music. They dance and play music on the frenchfiddle in every house. They ask for a penny or twopence, and if they do not any, they will bury the wren. They say a rhyme at every house.

    "The wren, the wren, the king of all birds, on St. Stephen's day he was caught in the furze. Though he is little, his family is great, Up with the kettle, and down with the pan, A penny or twopence to bury the wren."

  6. Important Days and Their Customs - New Year's Day

    Teanga
    Béarla
    Bailitheoir
    Patricia Reilly

    People say that you should not throw out anything on this day or you will have to throw out everything before the year is ended.

    St Stephen's Day
    It is a custom for wren-boys to go round to the houses singing and dancing and the people give them money. They are called "wren-boys" because long ago they used to kill a wren and put it in a holly-bush and bring it round to the houses with them but they do not bring the wren with them now. When the people would not give them any money they used to say "Give us a penny or we'll bury the wren." It was supposed that this would bring bad luck to the people.

  7. Bird-Lore

    Teanga
    Béarla
    Bailitheoir
    Joseph Reilly

    that whichever of them would fly the highest that one would be king. Before they started the wren hid himself under the eagles wing. The eagle flew higher than all the other birds and cried out "I am the king of all birds." Then the wren flew out from the eagle's wing and cried out "I am the king of all birds." Then the birds made the wren their king. The wren builds her nest in a bank and the top covered over with moss. The wren is the first and last bird to hatch, she builds two nests and lays twice in the year. She lays eighteen eggs the first time and twelve the last time.
    The cuckoo comes to this district in April. She is a large bird about the size of a pigeon. Her back is blueish grey and her wings and tail are black. The cuckoo builds no nest for herself. She lays her egg on the ground then she takes it in her mouth and drops

  8. Festival Customs

    Teanga
    Béarla
    Bailitheoir
    Betty Cusack
    Faisnéiseoir
    John Cusack
    Aois
    circa 45

    On St Stephen's day boys gather together and go from house to house playing music. They blacken their faces so that the people will not know them, and beg for money. They sing the wren song "The wren, the wren, the king of all birds, Saint Stephen's day he was caught in the furs, although he is little, his family is great, rise up, land - lady, and give us a treat. Up with the kettle and down with the pan give us our answer and let us be gone. My coat is tore, my brogs are wore following this wren three days or more. Up with the kettle and down with the pan give us our answer and let us be gone." Grown - up people wear

  9. (gan teideal)

    “On St Stephen's day a crowd of men and boys gather together.”

    Teanga
    Béarla
    Bailitheoir
    Mary Mc Cormack
    Aois
    14
    Faisnéiseoir
    James Shiels
    Aois
    42

    Mary McCormack (14) Newcastle. Told by James Shiels (42) Enfield.

    On St. Stephens day a crowd of men and boys gather together. They are dressed in old comic clothes, old fashioned hats and breeches with odd legs and sometimes they polish their faces with black polish. They all differ in costume. They go round from place to place carrying a decorated bush which very often contains a dead wren dangling from the branches. In later years they do not bother killing the unfortunate bird but proceed without it. They carry musical instruments ranging from a mouth-organ to an accordion. A man or boy plays the music and the rest look for partners in the farmer's house and they dance go leor round the farmer's kitchen. They divide the money which they get between themselves. Some of them travel on bicycles. Those wren boys sing the wren song which goes as follows:-
    The wren, the wren, the king of all birds, On St. Stephens day he was caught in

  10. Local Customs - St Stephen's Day

    Teanga
    Béarla
    Faisnéiseoir
    Stanley Elliott

    On St. Stephen's Day was caught in the furze,
    Though he was little he family was great,
    So, Step up now young ladies and give us a treat."

    They then select their partners and dance in the street to the tune of mouth organs.
    It is very cruel to kill the wren. But if you ask a wren boy why he does it he says, "Once when the Irish were attacking the Danes at night a wren pecked at the ear of a sleeping Danish sentry who woke and saw the Irish and gave the alarm and so he deserves all the punishment he gets."
    Hare are some more wren songs:-
    "The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,
    On St. Stephen's Day he was caught in the furze,
    Rise up with the kettles and down with the pan,
    And give us some money to bury the wren."

  11. Local Customs - St Stephen's Day

    Teanga
    Béarla
    Faisnéiseoir
    Stanley Elliott

    St. Stephen's Day falls 26th December. For a week or so before that day boys go round the bushes and chase a wren. When he is caught he is killed and nailed to a stick which is carried in the procession on St. Stephen's Day. All the boys dress up in funny costumes and go to the houses singing:-

    "The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,
    On St. Stephen's Day was caught in the furze,
    Up with the kettle and down with the (?),
    And give us some money to bury the wren."
    They also sing:-
    "The wren, the wren the king of all birds,

  12. Old Customs on the Feast Days

    Teanga
    Béarla
    Bailitheoir
    Kevin Keegan

    you will have no illness for the rest of the year. This is the rhyme that the wren boys use on this day.
    "The wren, the wren, the king of all birds. St. Stephen's Day she was caught in the firs (furze). Although she was little her family was great. Get up land-lady and give us a treat. Up with the kettle and down with the pan. Give me a penny and let me be gone. My boots are worn, my coat is torn, following the wren for three days and more'n. Money we beg and money

  13. Festival Customs

    Teanga
    Béarla
    Bailitheoir
    Mary Curry
    Aois
    12
    Faisnéiseoir
    John Curry
    Aois
    49
    Gairm bheatha
    farmer

    the wren. School children go around withe the wren and they sing

    The Wren, the wren, the king of all birds
    St Stephens Day he was caught in the furze
    Although he was llittle his family was great
    Rise up grand lady and give us a treat
    And if you treat us of the best
    I hope its in heaven your soul will rest
    But if you treat us small it wont help the wren boys atall
    So up with kettle and down with the pan
    Give us the money to bury the wren.
    An other version is.
    The wren, the wren, the king of all birds
    St Stephens Day he was caught in the furze
    Although he was little his family was great
    Rise up young lady and give us a treat
    I dip my wing in a barrell of beer
    And wish you all a merry Christmas and a bright New Year.
    St Brigids Day:
    It is said. There is a cure in a scarf for a sore throat that is left out on

  14. Bird-Lore

    Teanga
    Béarla
    Bailitheoir
    Rose Doggett
    Faisnéiseoir
    Patrick Doggett
    Aois
    44

    The wren builds her nest of moss and wool. She lays twenty one eggs and she sits on them for a month. The wren builds her nest in the bushes. She stays with us all the year. The wren is supposed to say "I'll tell you fifteen times and I won't tell you again." If any boys rob the wren's nest she leaves it and never comes back again.

    The snipe is a small grey and brown bird about the size of a thrush. She has a long pointed beak. She lives in marshy land close to the river or stream. She is not very particular about her nest.

  15. Festival Customs - St. Stephen's Day

    Teanga
    Béarla
    Bailitheoir
    Patrick Carry
    Faisnéiseoir
    Mrs Mary Kevitt
    Aois
    62

    Festival Customs

    St. Stephen's Day
    The old custom of "going round with the wren" still exists in this district. The boys dress up in all sorts of old clothes, put false faces on so that no one will know them, and go from house to house, singing, dancing, and saying rhymes. The rhyme, which used to be said, and which is still said, is:-
    "The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,
    St. Stephen's Day she was caught in the furze.
    Altho' he is little, his family is great,
    So rise up, young lady, and give us a treat.
    Up with the kettle, and down with the pan,
    Give us some money to bury the wren.
    He dipped his nose in a barrel of beer,
    I wish you all a happy New Year".
    In olden times the boys first gathered together and hunted a wren until they killed it. Then they tied it to a piece of a furze bush which they carried around with them. They do not kill the wren now.
    People are usually very kind to the "wren boys". They give them money or some of the Christmas good things - pudding etc.
    The money collected is divided equally among the boys taking part.

  16. St Stephen's Day

    Teanga
    Béarla
    Bailitheoir
    Kitty Carolan

    The boys go around in groups with the wren on St. Stephen's day. They kill the wren, and they put him in a box, and bring him around with them. They dress themselves in old clothes, and they put false-faces on their faces.
    Then they go from house to house with the wren, and they bring a french-fiddle with them

  17. Festival Customs

    Teanga
    Béarla
    Bailitheoir
    Maureen Lenehan

    St. Stephen's Day

    An old custom connected with St. Stephen's Day is the hunting of the wren. First of all a wren is caught and hung on a piece of holly. Then the boys go round to the houses singing :-
    "The wren, the wren, the King of all birds,
    On St. Stephen's Day he was caught in the furze,
    Although he is small his family is great
    So rise up Mrs. ___ and give us a "trate'".
    Another song is sung much the same as the first one which is as follows :-
    "The wren, the wren, the King of all birds,
    On St. Stephen's Day he was caught in the furze,
    He dipped his wing in a barrel of beer,
    And wished us all a happy 'new year'."
    When they have all the houses in the locality visited they go into one of the local shops and buy minerals, biscuits and sweets and have a kind of a feast with the money they got.
    Feast of the Assumption
    Every 15th of August there is a pilgrimage to Lady Well in Slane. Some years ago a man built a dog kennel over the Well to the castle grounds in Slane. But that night the Well sprang up in a different place. Very soon the Slane people began to have great

  18. Festival Customs

    Teanga
    Béarla

    Festival Customs

    St. Stephens Day.
    is a great day for the youngsters and sometimes for the grown up men.
    A crowd of boys arrange a party to follow the wren. The first thing they do is to change their appearance as much as possible.
    They blacken sometimes blue their faces and hands. Others wear "eye fiddles" and simply look terrifying.
    They wear the most outlandish clothing they find. Skirts, blouses and tall hats with feathers.
    Someone of the party is a musician - melodeon, fiddle or mouth organ. Then the procession starts to visit every house within a radiud of 4 or 5 miles.
    When coming near the house they start their rhyme:
    The Wren, the wren the king of all birds.
    St. Stephens Day is caught in the furze
    Altho' she is small her family is great
    So rise up landlady and give us a trate.
    Some people invite the Wren Boys into the house and give them refreshments and money.
    They sing and dance in return as usually have a "wren spree" in some of the local houses.
    When small boys follow the wren they usually divide the proceeds.

  19. Birds

    Teanga
    Béarla

    the robin came and covered Him with leaves which it took in its beak one by one. The wren however came and removed them and so Our Lord was discovered. For this reason boys do not consider it cruelty to birds to hunt the wren in preparation for St. Stephen's Day.

  20. Festival Customs

    Teanga
    Béarla
    Bailitheoir
    Maureen Brady
    Faisnéiseoir
    Annie Brady

    heads under the water trying to get them in their mouths. Some hang apples out of the ceiling and they try to get a bite out of them without touching them with their hands. Some others get three saucers and put clay and water and a ring in them, then they blindfold somebody and tell them to tip them three times. If they tip the clay it is said they will be dead before a year and if they tip the water they will be going across the water and if they tip the ring they will be married soon. There is also great fun in cracking the (the) nuts and trying to get the ring out of the barm brack.
    On Saint Stephens Days boys and even some grown-up men gather together, dress up in old clothes and false faces and go around with the wren from house to house, singing the wren song which is as follows.
    The wren, the wren,
    The king of all birds,