School: Abbeytown Convent N.S. (roll number 15043)

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1. Local Heroes (continued)

   “Old Mrs. McDermottroe says that - "from Boyle to Ballyfarnon there were a lot of singers":-”

   

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   reel, hornpipe, blackbird and St Patrick's Day at Feiseanna all over the Wet and South of Ireland.

   There was a dancing-pit long ago in a corner of Ally Belcher's field near the river. The dancers with their friends gathered on a Sunday evening and the music began. A churn -dash was stuck down in a bush and a cake placed on it. Each dancer took his turn on the ''ould'' door, which was laid for the purpose. The musicians decided, who won and 'twas nearly always Philsy Casey or his brother John of Sheegora, who ''took the cake'', as this was the prized. Their opponents were, the McGlynns, the Gallaghers, Jimmy Sheerin, Mary Murray, Mary Killalea, the Misses Garvey, the McPartlands and McSharrys. The dance-steps were known as the ''side-step'' the ''crooked-step'', the ''treble-step'', the ''double-step'' and they finished off with a ''flourish'' and a''batthen and slap''.

   ''There was no one, who could spin a yarn with oul Pat Nicholson of Corrigeenroe'', continues Mrs McDermottroe. A few of the oul' shanaghies were telling ''good ones'' one night around the fire in his own house. He listened to them and waited till they had finished, then he went on. ''Well! one snowy day, I went out with the gun to see if I could get a shot. Sure

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. agents (~1)
      1. historical persons (~5,068)

   Language

   English

   Informant

   Mrs Mc Dermottroe

   Gender

   Female