School: Clún na Gaoithe (roll number 8740)
- Location:
- Cloongee, Co. Mayo
- Teacher: Pádraig Ó Héaráin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0125, Page 414
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- XML School: Clún na Gaoithe
- XML Page 414
- XML “St John's Day”
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- St. John's Day falls on June 23rd. The boys and girls of the village come together and go around from house to house for turf. They get a bag of turf in each house. They make a fire of this turf which is called a "bonfire". They make this fire on top of a hill or at a crossroads. This is the way they light it. They spill some paraffin oil on a few of the sods of turf. Then they light the fire with matches. They put a bone into the fire and this is why it is called a "bonfire" or sometimes it is called a "bonefire". Someone of the crowd brings a voilin with him and they have a dance. They sit round the fire on stones and they start shouting and clapping their hands as they see the flames going up in the air. They stay there until two or three o'clock in the morning. When they are going home each person takes a coal or a half burnt sod with him and throw it into someone of their fields to bring(continues on next page)
- Informant
- Thomas Molloy
- Relation
- Unknown
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Toomore, Co. Mayo
