School: Cnoc an Dúin (B.) (roll number 11376)
- Location:
- Forthill, Co. Sligo
- Teacher: Mícheál Ó Connachtáin
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0161, Page 258
Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.
See copyright details.
DownloadOpen data
Available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
- XML School: Cnoc an Dúin (B.)
- XML Page 258
- XML “Old Customs”
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
- Old Customs
It is an old custom to light a fire on the 23rd June. The custom was a pagan one in honour of Balle the pagan god. When St Patrick came to Ireland he changed the character of the feast, but he did not change the feast. On bonfire night a big fire is lighted in every street, the children go around to the houses, and ask money for the bonfire. With that money they buy coal and turf. Some men with a horse and cart go out to the wood for wood. The fire is oiled, and when eleven is ringing it is lighted. People stay up at the fire all night entertained by a band. When the people get up in the morning they find ashes at their door.
2
On hallow een night a lot of nuts are brought into the house, and apples and a barn-brack. Every kind of tricks are played. Money is put in a basin of water and the person who takes it out of the water with his mouth keeps it. An apple is put in a ceiling, and the children try to bite it. Some children go around listening to what is going on indoors. If you look in the mirror at twelve o'clock you will see the devil.
- Collector
- Pat Scanlon
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Barrack Street, Co. Sligo
- Informant
- Patrick Scanlon
- Gender
- Male
