School: Baile Mac Rabhartaigh (roll number 3978)

Location:
Ballymagrorty, Co. Donegal
Teacher:
Mícheál Ó Fiannaidhe
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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1032, Page 177

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The Schools’ Collection, Volume 1032, Page 177

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  1. XML School: Baile Mac Rabhartaigh
  2. XML Page 177
  3. XML “Christmas Customs”

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  1. About two weeks before Christmas the “Mummers” call at the houses in the district. Then they continue calling to different houses until Christmas day. They always come at night. They are grown up boys from the neighborhood. They are dressed in white and wear false faces and hats with ribbons of every colour [color?], and some of them wear straw hats. They say rhymes such as:
    Room, room gallant room
    Give us room to rhyme
    And we’ll show you some activity
    Upon a Christmas time
    For Christmas comes but once a year
    When it comes it brings good cheer
    Here comes I wi’divil [?] a doubt
    If there was twelve in I could
    Knock twenty four out.
    Here comes I Jack straw
    Such a man you never saw
    Through a rock through a reel
    (continues on next page)
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. events
      1. events (by time of year) (~11,476)
        1. Christmas (~455)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Seán Mangan
    Gender
    Male
    Informant
    John Mangan
    Gender
    Male
    Age
    48