School: Scoil Mhuire (B.)
- Location:
- Skull, Co. Cork
- Teacher: Liam Ó Raghallaigh
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- XML School: Scoil Mhuire (B.)
- XML Page 545
- XML “St Stephen's Day”
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On this page
- On St Stephen's Day in this district parties of boys decorate their clothes with coloured ribbons, and go singing the wren song from house to house. They take with them a long pole on the top of which they tie a big bunch of holly and ivy. The practice of tieing a dead wren on to the bunch of holly has now died out.
In different parts of the country there are different versions of the song, but they all begin with the following words:
The wren, the wren the king of all birds
St Stephen's Day he was caught in the furze
Although he's little his family's great
Rise up old lady, and give us our treat.
In this district wren is pronounced 'wran' and treat, 'trate'.
The money received is divided among the boys, but sometimes a 'wren dance'(continues on next page)