1. dúchas.ie
  2. The Schools' Collection
  3. Newtowncunningham

School: Newtowncunningham (roll number 11122)

Teacher:
Seán Pr. Ó Raighne
Browse
Mode:
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1107, Page 60

Archival Reference

The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1107, Page 60

Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.

See copyright details.

Download

Open data

Available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

  1. XML School: Newtowncunningham
  2. XML Page 60
  3. XML “St Brigid's Crosses”

Note: We will soon deprecate our XML Application Programming Interface and a new, comprehensive JSON API will be made available. Keep an eye on our website for further details.

On this page

  1. St Brigid's Crosses

    Share Share Post
    St Brigid's Crosses
    The making of St Brigid's crosses is one of the oldest customs that are practised in this country. On the eve of St Brigid a ceremony is gone through by the people of the house. Everything is cleaned up early that night. If one of the household is called Bridget, she goes out and gathers a bunch of rushes. She knocks at the door and someone inside tells her to come in , in Irish. She comes in and leaves down the rushes. They are then blessed and every one of the family makes a cross. Nobody is allowed to speak while making them. If anybody comes in while the crosses are a making a cross should be given to him. These crosses are placed above the door. Sometimes they are placed in out-houses, especially in byres, to bring good luck and health on the stock.
    Mary Teresa McCrossan
    Newtowncunningham
    Co Donegal.
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    History Edit
    Topics
    1. objects
      1. clothing and accessories (~2,403)
        1. accessories (~307)
    2. events
      1. events (by time of year) (~11,476)
        1. Feast of St Brigid (~366)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Mary Teresa Mc Crossan
    Gender
    Female
    Address
    Newtown Cunningham, Co. Donegal