School: Baile Feárnach
- Location:
- Ballyfarnagh, Co. Mayo
- Teacher: Seán Ó Laoghaire
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0099, Page 043
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- XML School: Baile Feárnach
- XML Page 043
- XML “Weddings”
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- (continued from previous page)horseback followed up by twenty or thirty more horses each horse carrying a man and a woman. The feast in those days consisted of pig's head, potatoes and cabbage and plenty of porter. It was called a wedding and was held in the brides house.
When the "drag" started for home the race began and the first home was the first to welcome the bride. He also got a pint of whiskey.
During the feasting through the night, it was the custom for a crowd of boys to come dressed up in old clothes and straw. Those were called strawboys. They asked for whiskey and stout. The bridegroom gave them plenty of it and then the Captain of the strawboys danced with the bride and wishing them good luck went away.
Sometimes the bridegroom happened to be mean and gave nothing to the strawboys and for this they suffered by having their windows broken and other damage done.
- Collector
- Annie K. Flynn
- Gender
- Female
- Address
- Cloonlavis Upper, Co. Mayo
