The Wren: The wren builds it's nest in a low blackthorn hedge. The wren's nest is made of moss. It is a roofed nest. The wren lays fourteen eggs. The colour of the wren's eggs is white with brown spots through them.
Collected by Gretta Dalton (13), Bracklin, Kilbeggan W'meath.

This story is about Mr.Tom Wren. One day Mr. Wren was making soup out of a goats head. He had it down boiling when a neighbour came in. Mr Wren told the man that he had a goat's head down making soup, and he told the man to wait and he would give him some. So the man waited and Mr Wren went out for turf, and he went out the man put a boot into the soup, and when Mr Wren came in he went to stir the soup and he said to the man "The soup will soon be done. I hear the teeth rattling in the bottom of the pot." but it was really the nails of boot he heard rattling, but anyway he took up the soup and he drank all he was able, and when he was finished he went to take up the goat's head, and instead it was a boot he took up.

Birds

There are many old customs still carried out in Ireland on certain feasts.
Saint Stephen's Day is a great festival day. Young men and boys dress in gaudy colours and fancy gowns, and go to "hunt the wren". It is called "hunting the wren" and sometimes they kill a wren, tie it to the top of a stick, and take it with them. They bring melodeons and various musical instruments with them to play and dance in each house which they visit. They get money in each house to help to "bury the wren".
There is a rhyme they recite, which is something like this:-
"The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,
Saint Stephen's Day, he was caught in the furze;
Up with the kettle, and down with the pan.
Twopence or threepence to bury the wren."
Saint Brigid's Day is another great festival day, but the old customs concerning it are fast dying out. Long ago the young men dressed up and went from house to house playing music, dancing and singing

Many festival customs are carried on around this locality. On Saint Stephens Day boys and girls dress up in funny clothes and go from door to door singing the Wren Boys song. The actual words used in this song are - the Wren the Wren king of all birds Saint Stephens day he was caught in the furze although he was little his family was great so rise up my lady and give us a treat. Another song is The Wren the Wren [?] up with the kettle and down with the pan give us a penny to bury the Wren.

have a store of apples and nuts which they distribute to them when they are departing.
On the 11th of November St Martin's Day the farmers do not work on the land or with the horses. It is a very old custom to kill a fowl on that day in honour of St. Martin but it is rarely done now.
One of the most important festivals of the year is Christmas. There is not as much fastings now compared with olden times. On Christmas Eve night all the children look forward to hanging up their stockings to see what presents Santa Claus will bring them.
A very old custom which was held on St Stephen's Day is dying away, that was all the young boys went out hunting the wren. The younger generation seem to take little interest in those old customs. The wren boys say this verse at every door. The wren, the wren, the king of all birds, St Stephen's Day, she was caught in the furze, although she was small her family great, rise up land-lady and give us a treat, to bury the wren. Up with the kettle and down with the pan give us

Saint Stephen's Day is a great festival day in Clara. All the wren=boys go out dressed up.

The birds most common in this district are, the robin, the wren, the thrush, the black - bird the sparrow, the wood - pigeon, the willy - wag, the blue - bird, the lark, the crow, the swallow and the magpie.
The robin builds her nest in a bank or at the foot of the tree. She makes her nest of moss and lines it with hair. The robin lays five eggs.
The wren builds her nest in ivy or in a hole in a wall. She makes her nest in a manner similar to that which the robin employs. The wren lays a large number of eggs. I found a wren's nest with twenty seven eggs in it. The wren is called the King of the Birds.
The wood - pigeon builds her nest in a tree. It is in a hollow in a tree she usually builds the nest. She makes it of sticks. Two eggs is all the pigeon lays. The eggs are pure white. This bird is about the same

Festival Customs

A penny or two-pence to bury the wren."
(3) Nowadays the wren is not killed, but instead a bunch of feathers is tied on a holly tree.
(4) Long ago the wren used to be killed on St. Stephens Day. For it was believed that it was it that betrayed Our Lord to the Jews.

I live at Broughall two miles from Kilcormac. The wild birds most commonly found in my district are the swallow, robin, blackbird, thrush, wagtail, cuckoo, stonechat, wren, magpie, hawk, woodpigeon, crow, goldfinch, corncrake, greenlinnet. The swallow builds his nest in the cave of a house; he builds of clay, hair, and bits of hay. The robin and wren make their nests the same of moss, hay, and feathers. They builds in the eaves of houses. The robin and wren make their nests the the same of moss, hay and feathers, They builds in the eaves of houses. the blackbird and thrush make their nests alike; they build of grass and clay. The wagtail builds in high chinmeys and old houses. the cuckoo builds no nest

On St. Stephens Day boys dress up and go round from house to house with the Wren. They get a branch of Holly and decorate it with coloured papers and ribbons. Then they put a dead Wren in the middle of it. They get money in nearly every house. They get sweet cake or Plum-Pudding in some houses. When they have finished that evening they divide the money. On St. Stephen's night men dress up and go round with the Wren. They put on old clothes and vizards so that no one would know them. They dance and sing in every house. They get money or sweet cake in every house. When they have finished they divide the money. This is the verse they say at every house.
The Wren, the Wren the king of all birds,
St. Stephen's Day she was caught in the furze,
Though she was small, her family was great,
Rise up landlady and give us a treat,

These are the principal feasts observed around here and the customs connected with them.
St Stephen's Day
On the previous evening the young boys and even the grown ups go to hunt the wren. If they get one they take him with them on St Stephen's Day and tie her to a holly stick. Of late years they rarely catch a wren because it is too troublesome but they pretend they have one. Sometimes they don't even mention the wren but go from door to door and play music or dance. The money collected is divided in the evening and the boys usually go to dance then. This is the rhyme they used to say: The wren then wren, The King of the birds, St Stephen's Day, She was caught in the firs.

day a crowd of boys go from house to house hunting the wren. They have a wren in a cage and it is decorated with ribbons. They sign a verse and then the people give them money. This is the verse they sing.

go from house to house dressed up in different colours. They sing the sing of the wren.
"The wren, the wren, the King of all birds"
St Stephens Day she was caught in the furze. "Up with the kettle and down with the pan a penny or two-pence to bury the wren".
They gather money and divid it among themselves. They dance and play mouth-organs, and tin whistles and melodeons. They go in the morning and they and they come home at night.
On St Brigids eve people make crosses out of timber and others reeds and hang them out of the ceiling. Long ago in my district people go round on St Brigids night with an immage of St Brigid made out of wood. They knocked at the doors and the people

On St Stephen's Day two or three boys and girls gather to-gether in my district and go from house to house hunting the wren. They go gathering money. They sing the wren song, and here it is:
"The wren, the wren, the king of all birds,
St Stephens day She was caught in the furze
Though she is little and her family great,
Rise up land-lady and give us a treat
I followed the wren this live long day
Through dirty mud and yellow clay
As I was going to Bally na knock I met a
Wren upon a rock
So I up with my stick I gave her a knock
And knocked her into the brandy shop
Up with the kettle and down with the
Pan give us an answer and let us go on".
They dress up. The boys put on girls clothes. The girls put on a trousers and a coat turned in side out. Both boys and girls wear vizards. They bring a holly bush in their hands. They dress up the bush with papers of different colours. They bring

wren. They asked her the same question as the robin, the wren said that the corn was only sown yesterday. So the soldiers turned again and soon found Our Lord and tied him up.

its nest in an old bank. She sits on the eggs for three weeks before the young birds are hatched out.
The wren is the smallest of our birds although he is called the "King of the birds". He is the King of the birds because once when when the birds competed for the kingship by a flying contest the wren is said to have flown the highest. But the wren hid on the eagles tail when all the other birds were soaring up , and as the eagle was about to declare himself King when the wren flew above the eagle and won the title "King of the birds".
The thrush, a lovely brown bird, is one of our songsters. She lays blue eggs and builds her nest in the hedge. The lark is also a songster. She sings in a clear sweet voice as she soars in the air on a Summer's day.
The thrush usually perches on a branch when she sings but the lark is ever on the go. She builds her nest on the ground. The lark flies the

The day after Christmas day is called St Stephen's day, we call it "wren day", because on this day the boys dress up in old clothes and go from house to house gathering money. They have a small piece of holly and a few feathers stuck in it to pretend it is a wren.
Some of the boys dance and some play music, when they have finished they ask for money. Then they say the rhyme.
"The wren, the wren the king of all birds.
St Stephen's day she was caught in the furze.
Although she is little her family is great
I pray young lady give us a treat,
Up with the kettle and down with the pan;
A penny or two pence to bury the wren"
They divide the money among themselves.

On Christmas Eve we put Christmas candles in the windows, to show light to travellers, because on the first Christmas night the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph were journeying through Bethlehem looking for a resting place for that night.
On Christmas Day no one leaves his or her own house to go visiting neighbours and friends.
On Saint Stephen's Day five or six boys dress themselves up in torn clothes, and colour their faces so that nobody will know them. Then they kill a wren and tie it on top of a branch of holly. Each one has a musical instrument of his own. They go from house to house singing the wren's song which is as follows.:-
"The Wren, The Wren, the king of all birds,
Saint Stephen's Day she was caught in the furze,
From bush, to bush, from tree, to tree,
Up with the kettle, down with the pan,
A penny or twopence to bury the wren,
So ladies and gentlemen open your purse,
And this time twelve-months you will be