School: Coillte Mághach (roll number 12520)

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1. Festival Customs

   

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   Many of our methods of celebrating certain festivals have considerably changed within the last half century. Thus the wren-boys are no longer recognised as such, and very few, if there is anybody at all in the district, call them by that name now. They are called, "mummers". and, no doubt, due to the resteen spirit and the longing for excitement or perhaps to the too common desire of obtaining money without doing a lot of work for it, they have become to most people a nuisance, as from early morn bad succeeds band dressed in all kinds of fantastic days and night attire and producing a weird assortment of music from as weird a collection of musical instruments.

   In former days the custom was to catch a wren and then to go round to the houses in the neighbourhood chanting a rhyme in Irish commentary with -

   "Dreortín, Dreortín Rí na neun
   Is mór mo murgin
   Is beag mí feín"

   But alas, that day is past. Perhaps, though it is not a matter for regret with the poor wrens. Nowadays, it is the custom

   (continues on next page)

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. agents (~1)
      1. animal-lore (~1,185)
   2. events
      1. events (by time of year) (~11,476)

   Languages

   Irish

   English

   Collector

   Máirtín Ó Cearbhaill

   Gender

   Male