School: Briscula, Mountrath (roll number 15197)
- Location:
- Briscula, Co. Laois
- Teacher: Bean Uí Choinnigh
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0833, Page 085
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- XML School: Briscula, Mountrath
- XML Page 085
- XML “St Stephen's Day”
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- St. Stephen's Day
On St. Stephen's day every boy in the district goes from house to house gathering money. Some of them take donkeys with them if they intend going a long distance and they decorate them with strings and ribbons and old rags of flashing colours. The boys decorate themselves with strings and ribbons and old rags of flashing colours. The boys decorate themselves artistically in order to disguise themselves. They polish their faces or put on a vizard, they put on their mother's or sister's old torn robes or hats. They carry a large holly bush bearing the wren and with ribbons floating from the bush and they also take with them the bladder of a pig the windpipe of a goose and some instrument for playing on and they recite rhymes such as the following.
"The wren; the wren the king of all birds.
On St. Stephen's day she was caught in the furze.
Although she was small her family was great.
Rise up with the purse and give me a treat(continues on next page)
- Collector
- Nora Phelan
- Gender
- Female
